Essex Tories had 'gun to our heads' for Holden selection

Members say Tory party chair standing is a 'slap in the face'

- DAVID MADDOX

Tories in the nominally safe seat of Basildon and Billericay in Essex have spoken of their fury over the way in which party chair Richard Holden was forced on them as their general election candidate last night.

The selection comes after embarrassing video footage of Mr Holden, recorded in February, emerged, in which he describes how he is “loyal to the North East” of England and denies he is seeking a safe seat elsewhere.

Mr Holden was the MP for North West Durham, which ceased to exist following the boundary review but rejected the opportunity to stand in neighbouring Bishop Auckland, which was won for the Tories by Dehenna Davison in 2019. Instead, his hunt for a safe seat became an issue of contention between ordinary party activists in local associations and the Rishi Sunak leadership team in CCHQ (party headquarters).

The row is the culmination of a series of furious confrontations over the way in which the main parties have handled selections. Yesterday it was revealed that the leader of the Scottish Tories, Douglas Ross, had been dropped into another nominally safe seat of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, with unwell former MP David Duguid ditched at the last minute to make room for him.