That Lib Dem shortlist for the North Cotswolds selection in full

The Tomorrow's MP account on Twitter, which is run by the journalist Michael Crick, has the shortlist from which the next Liberal Democrat candidate for the North Cotswolds constituency will be selected.

There are three names on the list:

• Nicola Horlick
• Paul Hodgkinson
• Arthur Snell

Rather fancifully, Crick suggests that Arthur Snell is running his campaign from Kyiv. But on Bluesky Snell has assured everyone that he is in fact running it from Gloucestershire.

The Conservative majority over the Lib Dems at the last election was only 3357, so this is one to watch.

Hear Josh Babarinde and Roz Savage talk about becoming a parliamentary candidate on The Rundown podcast

The latest edition of The Rundown podcast from Politics Home looks at candidate selection and features two Liberal Democrats.

They are Josh Babarinde, who will fight Eastbourne for us at the next election, and Roz Savage, who will fight South Cotswolds.

Also taking part are a Conservative candidate and the veteran political journalist Michael Crick, who keeps a close eye on the subject.

Another hold up with the Lib Dem selection in Sutton and Cheam

There's news of a further hold up in the attempt to find a Liberal Democrat candidate for the eminently winnable seat of Sutton and Cheam.

Early yesterday Michael Crick tweeted:

🟠 SUTTON & CHEAM: one source says the hustings have been postponed because two comp
laints were received, and the source suggests John Sweeney and Trish Fivey may now have been added to the shortlist. Can anyone confirm or deny any or all of this? https://t.co/CVJdQbVwZK

— @Tomorrow'sMPs (@tomorrowsmps) April 21, 2024

According to Inside Croydon, the original shortlist for the meeting had only two names on it: former London mayoral candidate Luisa Porritt and Sutton councillor Luke Taylor.

Radical Bulletin in the latest Liberator (issue 422) reported after the original call for applicants was issued:

This presumably means that Sutton & Cheam’s former prospective parliamentary candidate David Campanale has finally been ousted from that role after an interminable series of appeals that began last summer when the constituency first sought to remove him.

Although Campanale was originally a Liberal Democrat he left to join the highly socially conservative Christian People’s Alliance and rose to be its leader and author of its 2010 general election manifesto. Some of this was unexceptionable but it also said: “A new hierarchy of rights has put the needs of sexual minorities above religious freedom” and inveighed against “sex in view of families enjoying parks and open spaces” (Liberator 416).

He stood as a Lib Dem candidate in Spelthorne in 2019 - though few outside the area appear to have noticed - but Sutton & Cheam is a rather more serious proposition as the party held it from 1997 to 2015.

Some Sutton members felt they should have been better acquainted with Campanale's past by the party before the original selection meeting and were unimpressed to be told they should have looked on Google.

The current Conservative member for Sutton and Cheam, Paul Scully will not stand at the coming general election. In 2019 he had a majority of 8351.

As Liberator says, the seat was held for the Lib Dems, in the person of Paul Burstow, between 1997 and 2015.

The Joy of Six 1137

"There was never any reason to suppose Johnson could be a successful prime minister. Nothing in his record suggested he was fit for the job. His sole success came in living down to expectations. If he had been a tolerable success as mayor of London that was, in large part, simply because the mayoralty was, in his hands, little more than a PR job. As foreign secretary, rather more importantly, he was palpably out of his depth." Alex Massie says goodbye and good riddance to Boris Johnson.

Michael Crick argues that Keir Starmer will come to regret purging the Labour left.

"Her concerns stretched beyond monetary union. She voiced fears over the EU’s tendency to centralise and erode national barriers, warning that 'the rush to a Single Market … is corroding the social, employment, and environmental structure of our continent.' She even noted how EU freedom of movement would have a depressionary effect on wages." Richard Johnson reminds us that Caroline Lucas used to be a Eurosceptic.

Sarah Menkedick asks why American children are treated as a separate species.

Jonathan Meades reviews a book on heritage and conservation: "Seventy years ago, Augustus John advised in his autobiography Chiaroscuro that we ought not to admire hedges and drystone walls no matter how handsome the patchwork they form, for they are instruments of ownership. Stourton overlooks John. He comes up with the familiar justification that great estates have spared the country mass housing. Familiar but, frankly, bollocks."

Steven Smith, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne all played club cricket in England. Scott Oliver looks back to those days.

The Joy of Six 1041

Anne Applebaum explains why the West’s diplomacy with Russia keeps failing.

"If you are repeatedly saying racist things, standing in front of racist posters and devoting your entire political career to a racist agenda, then the question of whether you are a racist 'at heart' seems somewhat irrelevant." Adam Bienkov on Michael Crick's biography of Nigel Farage and the taboo on calling racist politicians racist.

Social Work Shorts listens to Lucy Johnstone critique the current professional and public perception of mental health: "She started by quoting Dr Allen Francis the chair of the DSM IV Committee (the mental health diagnostic manual) as saying ‘there is no definition of a mental disorder ….it’s bullshit.’ Johnstone was keen to point out in saying this and the other things she said she wasn’t denying the very real and problematic experiences that people have. She was simply suggesting that we are approaching it in the wrong way"

"If you want to be confident of getting the best ticket deal on Britain’s railway you need to interrogate both the ticket machine and the ticket office to be sure you are getting the cheapest fare, as both offer different ticket prices. And that’s before looking online and maybe being offered more options, including ones where you pay an additional commission to the likes of Trainline." Roger French explores the crazy world of rail ticketing.

Norman Baker, meanwhile, gets all nostalgic about public transport in 1973.

"It’s a highly ambiguous snapshot of [Andy] Partridge’s relationship with his country. It’s a hiding-in-plain-sight masterpiece that, for reasons which will become apparent in this article, remains on the outside of popular consciousness. It’s also a grand folly, specifically designed to dig Partridge out of a particularly messy hole." Fergal Kinney marks the 40th anniversary of XTC''s English Settlement.

Questions raised over Paul Nuttall's claim to live in Stoke-on-Trent

Ukip leader Paul Nuttall may have broken electoral law by giving an incorrect address on his official nomination form for this month’s by-election in Stoke, reports Channel 4 News.

If a prosecution does take, place the interview he gave to Michael Crick may form part of the prosecution case.

Meanwhile, if you want to help the Liberal Democrats in Stoke Central or Copeland, full details are on the party website,

Latest on alleged Tory overspending at the 2015 general election

Michael Crick's latest report was broadcast on Friday.

Torbay Lib Dems raise questions over Alison Hernandez

From the Herald Express:

Torbay Lib Dems have lodged a question at Wednesday's full council meeting over the conduct of the new Devon and Cornwall Police Commissioner - former Torbay councillor - Alison Hernandez ...

Lib Dem leader Steve Darling wants to ask Conservative councillor Robert Excell: 

"As Torbay Councils representative on the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel, do you think it is right that Alison Hernandez remains in post whilst being investigated by the police for criminal offences, while a serving officer in the police would be suspended during such an investigation?"

However, the paper said the Lib Dems have been told that the question arrived too late to be considered for today's meeting.

You can watch Alison Hernandez's encounter with Michael Crick above.

Latest Michael Crick report on 2015 Conservative elections expenses

Note that the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall was the party's election agent in one of the seats now under scrutiny.

Which could prove embarrassing for all concerned if she wins on Thursday.

Note too her reluctance to answer questions on the matter.

You can find earlier Michael Crick reports on this blog.

Michael Crick and Andrew Neil on Conservative election expenses

"Something has to be done by the beginning of June" @MichaelLCrick tells @afneil on possible #battlebus prosecutions https://t.co/qmwyu9R6Kz

— DailySunday Politics (@daily_politics) April 21, 2016

Following the new revelations on Channel 4 News last night, Michael Crick appeared on today's Daily Politics.

Undeclared Conservative spending in Liberal Democrat seats

This Michael Crick report, giving the latest revelations in the growing scandal over Conservative spending at the last election, was broadcast by Channel 4 News earlier this evening.

Read more on the Channel 4 website.

Channel 4 News report on Conservative spending in by-elections

This is the report from Michael Crick shown at the start of this evening's Channel 4 News.

In which Grant Shapps fails to evade Michael Crick

To understand what is going on, read this blog post my Michael Crick.

You may also enjoy my 2012 post on Grant Shapps' problems with the internet.

Michael Crick goes to the UKIP Carnival

His report for Channel 4 News earlier this evening.

Newark by-election: Wish I could be like David Watts

Twitter is alive with the news that David Watts, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Broxtowe Borough Council, has been chosen as our candidate in the Newark by-election. Michael Crick suggests there were only two applicants.

Well, maybe it was a case of quality not quantity, and I wish David all the best in his efforts to take on Ukip's fruitcake emeritus Roger Helmer.

And his selection does give me an excuse to remind you that The Kinks' David Watts was a real person and came from Rutland.

Take it away boys...

Godfrey Bloom hits Michael Crick

Time to reinstate elections for the Lib Dem interim peers panel

Last month (with some help from Michael Crick and Mark Pack) I blogged about the decision not to hold elections for the Lib Dem interim peers panel this year. It turned out to be one taken by the party's Federal Executive because we were in the process of reforming the House of Lords.

Well, we are not any more.

And the same correspondent who alerted me to the the cancellation of elections for the panel now asks if the Federal Executive will reverse its decision because of this.

Over to you, FE.

Lib Dems "abandon" interim peers panel elections

A reader emails to alert me to the fact that Michael Crick has just reported on his blog that "the Lib Dem high command has quietly decided this year to abandon its election for future peers".

He asks

• First, who in this instance is "the Lib Dem high command"? 
• Second, whoever they are, do they have the right to unilaterally abandon scheduled elections to the party's Interim Peers Panel? 
• And third, why has this decision been taken "quietly"?

Later. Mark Pack provides some answers - it seems this is a recent Federal Executive decision. He also says:

the way in which the news has seeped out rather reinforces my view that party committees could and should be better at communicating their decisions.

Rear-Admiral Morgan-Giles is still with us

Lord Glenamara - better known as Ted Short - died last week at the age of 99. At the time of his death he was the oldest former MP. On Twitter Michael Crick asked who now holds that title.

The last time this came up was in a post on Iain Dale's Diary in January 2009, but the names banded about then - James Allason, William Wilson - have since died.

Michael Crick suggested that the new holder might be Denis Healey (born 30 August 1917), while my own first thought was John Freeman (born 19 February 1915), the last survivor of the 1945 House of Commons.

But Crick later came up with another name: Rear-Admiral Sir Morgan Charles Morgan-Giles DSO, OBE, GM DL (born 19 June 1914).

I can remember the days, 40 years ago, when Rear-Admiral Morgan Giles appeared regularly on television. And he seemed like a complete dinosaur then in his views and manner of speaking. I was astounded, though secretly a little pleased, to learn that he is still with us today

The oldest living former Liberal MP is Lord Mackie of Benshie (born 10 July 1919).

Unless, of course, you know different.

Later. Rear Admiral Morgan Giles died on 4 May 2013 - his obituary was in the Daily Telegraph. This leaves John Freeman as the oldest former MP.

Michael Crick meets Rupert Matthews

Michael Crick had a report on Channel 4 News this evening about the continuing saga of Roger Helmer's resignation (or not) as one of the MEPs for the East Midlands and whether Rupert Matthews will replace him.

In his accompanying blog post he writes:

When I went to see Rupert Matthews at his home in Surrey today he refused to speak on camera. He doesn't want to upset his chances. 

Off-camera, he denied several times to my face that he was a teacher for the IMU, and had merely designed the course. Yet in the IMU's online video Matthews talks to camera of being "your tutor for the course". Matthews denies being a professor for the university, though they were calling him such up to the end of last week. 

And he denied that IMU gives out degrees, though their website quite clearly offer masters degrees. All very odd.

I agree with Crick's conclusion:

Conservative HQ says it will do what it can to help Matthews take over Helmer's seat. But they still want to question him. And I can't help feeling that question process will lead to Matthews being rejected, or persuaded to abandon his claim. That would be a pity in a way, for Rupert Matthews would be a lot more colourful than most MEPs.

And from a purely selfish point of view, if he does not become and MEP I shall be robbed of a stream of blog posts that write themselves.

If you want more background to this affair, read my earlier posts on Rupert Matthews.