Candidates. Warburton resigns. Holmes replaces Naughton in Selby and Ainsty. And Hughes is selected for Pincher’s seat of Tamworth.

There have been several developments regarding candidates for both two upcoming by-elections and the next general election. David Warburton, the MP for Somerton and Frome, became the fourth Conservative in eight days to announce they were standing down from the Commons. He had been suspended from the party for 14 months following allegations of drug use and sexual impropriety.

Somerton and Frome have opened their selection process, with a deadline being set for candidate applications for this evening. Somerton and Frome was held by the Liberal Democrats until 2015. Although Warburton currently sits on a majority of 29.6 per cent – 19,213 votes at the last election – this will be a crucial target for the Yellow Peril.

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Meanwhile, Claire Holmes has been selected for Selby and Ainsty. Less than two weeks ago, Michael Naughton was selected for the new seat of Selby. However, following his selection, Nigel Adams – a close Boris Johnson ally who had been widely tipped for a peerage – chose to step down. Naughton was then adopted as the candidate for the upcoming by-election.

However, I’m told this caused some consternation within elements of the local association. Andrew Lee, a North Yorkshire councillor, was aggrieved at Naughton’s adoption since he had been selected for the new boundaries, not the current ones. I am told Lee believes he has more support within the current boundaries and would have fancied his chances had the selection been re-run.

Consequently, a meeting last Thursday designed, I am told, as a “meet and greet” with the new candidate instead became a debate over whether Naughton should be able to stay on. Lee pushed for it to be re-run but was unsuccessful. However, the next day Naughton had to step down due to an “unforeseen family emergency”.

CCHQ thus oversaw a selection with three new candidates.  Lee – a “divisive figure” locally – was not chosen for the shortlist. The new final three were Claire Holmes, a lawyer and an East Yorkshire councillor, Adam Gregg, a councillor in Colne Valley and the candidate in Barnsley East in 2019, and Fabia Tate, who was the candidate in York Central in 2019 and managed Zac Goldsmith’s 2016 London mayoral campaign.

Tate had to pull out ahead of Sunday’s meeting. Although there was some local irritation at the lack of local connections, Holmes was selected for an impressive performance at the meeting. She is the daughter of a miner and will be defending a majority of 20,137 votes or 35.7 per cent. Local Conservatives will be hoping she is elected not only to keep the seat blue but to end this rigmarole.

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Finally, a candidate for the next general election was selected in Tamworth, to replace Chris Pincher. Although Pincher has not resigned his seat, he had the Conservative whip removed in July 2022 over poor behaviour at the Carlton Club. The subsequent fallout played a notable role in the chaotic end of Boris Johnson’s premiership – something that Pincher has aimed to make amends for.

Pincher’s replacement as the Conservative candidate is a figure already familiar to the Commons benches: Eddie Hughes, the current MP for Walsall North. His current constituency is being broken up into Walsall and Bloxwich – which combines around half of Walsall North and half of Walsall South – and Wolverhampton North East and Wolverhampton South East, causing him to be classed as “displaced”.

Also in the final four were Tom Byrne – a policy advisor to Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and a ConHome columnist – Sarah Macken, a former candidate for the Pro Life Alliance in Brent East in 2001 who stood in Wolverhampton North East in 2017 – and Philip White, the Deputy Leader of Staffordshire County Council.

A local Conservative told ConservativeHome that Hughes won through due to his obvious experience as a sitting MP. Although Pincher currently sits on a majority of 19,634 – or 42.6 per cent – local sources suggested Hughes might be up for a difficult fight at the next election. The council flipped from being Conservative to No Overall Control in May, with a 14.7 per cent rise in Labour’s vote.

Nonetheless, asides from his campaigning record, Hughes does have something going for him: he isn’t Pincher. A local Tory spoke of habitual Tory voters on the doorstep who said they were unwilling to support the party whilst Pincher was in place. Hughes can at least, therefore, highlight his distance from his processor.

As ever, please contact me at [email protected] with any candidates and selections information you may have.