One person, each day, to help make sense of the election.
The Conservative Party chair has long been a cabinet minister in want of a seat. First elected in 2019 as part of the Tories’ assault on the Red Wall, Holden’s constituency of North West Durham is being abolished as result of boundary changes. When Rishi Sunak made him party chair there was grumbling from backbenchers who noted that the man ostensibly in charge of selections was likely to put himself first. Holden reportedly turned down the (likely unwinnable) seat in nearby Bishop Auckland and decided against trying for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich in deference to local unease. But since the snap election forced the issue Holden has been parachuted in the (likely safe) seat of Basildon and Billericay, and local Tory members are fuming. He’s not the only figure handed a plum seat without any connection to it, but his front-and-centre role means he’ll stay in the spotlight.
