This Wretched Hive Of Scum And Villainy

[Torrain]

I know they don’t have anything else. But this “we know what the voters want, even though they keep voting against it” thing is getting real tiresome.
https://twitter.com/KateEMcCann/status/1787050047273578750

[Torrain]

It’s time - I’m still #ReadyForRehman
https://twitter.com/Rehman_Chishti/status/1787126391013585306
Edit: he’s engaged. While I welcome the announcement of our future First Lady, disappointed to have to take down the bunting, and wait until after the election.

[Torrain]

To break character - it’s his willingness to make himself look ridiculous in public that leaves him oddly endearing.

In other party news: this week is the deadline for the Member for Plymouth Moor View to reveal his sources to the government inquiry, or risk jail time…

[Torrain]

Lot of chatter that Andy Street might be offered the selection in Solihull West.

Sitting MP for West Bromwich East, Nicola Richards, has been eying the seat for a while, but the sitting Solihull MP, Julian Knight, has reportedly threatened to resign and trigger a by-election (which the Lib Dem’s would stand a good chance in) if she’s selected.

This is largely via Michael Crick, so take with several grains of salt.

[Torrain]

This speculation started the moment it looked like Street could lose on Saturday.  It honestly makes a good deal of sense,  if you go in with the idea that Street wants to continue his political career. However,  there's a good chance he just wants to walk away. Or want a seat in the lords. Mayoral experience also makes him not like other new recruits, he'd probably need the promise of some shadow role to justify it to himself.

Honestly, given his decent reputation, and the coming clear-out of parliamentary talent in the party, he could probably lay claim to the shadow levelling up brief (or whatever it’s called next), whether he’s sitting in the Commons or Lords.

Fabricant isn’t going anywhere, so maybe a shift to London actually works for him?

Zero judgement if he decides to step aside though - being in opposition saps the soul, and if past is prologue, it’s not going to be a fun couple of years on the Tory benches, especially in that first few years.

[Torrain]

Nadhim Zahawi’s standing down. Very… Zahawi retirement statement, lots of awkwardly inserted Shakespeare references, and some odd head-shaving anecdotes to pivot to his childhood in Baghdad.

Wonder whether the open seat is more favourable to the local Lib Dems, or if they’d have rather run against Zahawi, post tax-scandal. They’ve got a hefty majority on the local council, but have had to tussle with Labour (who don’t hold a single council seat) for second place at the constituency level.

[Torrain]

Per Shapps this evening, they’re not even banning them, just instituting a policy discouraging them. Which ironically means that the Scottish Parliament, (which actually did ban rainbow lanyards as part of an culture war subplot a few months back) now has a harder line on pride flags than the Tories. Weird times we live in.

That aside, the truly frustrating thing our “Minister for Common Sense” did today was take a victory lap for reducing the number of international postgrad students coming here. That’s going to squeeze academic research and the entire postgrad sector, which is one of the few unscathed corners of our economy. And it’s not just that she doesn’t care, she’s *revelling* in it.

If ever we needed a Tatton 1997 redux, it’s now. 

[Torrain]

What do Labour’s chances look like in Tatton?

Basically zero. Tories can win 10k majorities there in years as dire as 2001. Doesn't help that the opposition vote often splits fairly evenly between Lab and Lib Dem. 1997 was a real black-swan event, I was just being a bit of a d*ck about how much McVey annoys me.

Nick Robinson is the first to spring to mind - his wet Tory background might play well in this seat.

This I would pay to see though.

[Torrain]

Can someone translate this to me, because I am completely confused.

Which part?

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/1791080850831868299

[Torrain]

Chris Heaton-Harris is standing down at the next election. Held a succession of junior ministerial posts, before becoming Johnson’s final Chief Whip in early 2022. Sent to the Northern Ireland Office by Truss, where he’s been ever since. Fair number of missteps in his time, but his low-key (some would say boring, I’m in no place to judge) style seems to have largely shielded him.

His Daventry constituency has been Conservative since its 1974 creation, with a 26k majority in 2019. Even taking current polling and boundary changes into consideration, it’s likely to be a fairly safe bet for the party this year. I assume we’ll see the usual suspects decamp in the next couple of weeks.

[Torrain]

Craig Mackinlay’s composure, and candour, is remarkable.

[Torrain]

Guess who's been given back the whip for his final 48 hours as an MP:
https://twitter.com/MattHancock/status/1793715452251943233
As unforced errors go, reminding people about pandemic era incompetence has to be up there.

[Torrain]

Went to check in on the Tory intelligentsia and, well…

[Torrain]

Feel duty-bound to provide an update on one of this thread's long-running subplots:
https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1794702404593533194

[Torrain]

Turns out that Liz Truss has met with some.......*interesting* people recently. But who cares about all that when there is the Diane Abbott soap opera to witter on about?

Sheesh, that’s not a good look…

If the Conservatives somehow find a way to avoid appointing a head-banger as leader, and end up with someone like Cleverly or Tugendhat - I’m starting to think they’ll copy the Starmer playbook and push Truss out to start a “we’ve changed the party” narrative.

She’s just too much of a loose cannon to keep on the backbenches, and it’s starting to look like she’s bedding in for the long-term…

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1796611564700659826
Parachuting a former SNP politician from Greater Glasgow into the middle of Berkshire, in a seat vulnerable to the Lib Dems would be *wild*.

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1796611564700659826
Parachuting a former SNP politician from Greater Glasgow into the middle of Berkshire, in a seat vulnerable to the Lib Dems would be *wild*.

https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1796644679456301101
False alarm - normality restored.