Penrith MP Neil Hudson Fails Second Candidate Selection this time for Matt Hancock's Constituency of West Suffolk.
In a second blow to his continued parliamentary ambitions, Dr Neil Hudson, the current Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border, has lost the conservative candidate selection for the West Suffolk constituency. The seat currently held by Matt Hancock, who is presently an Independent MP after losing the conservative party whip. Hancock announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking re-election in the next general election.
Dr Neil Hudson faced conservative members in a selection battle for the second time, this time in West Suffolk, but was defeated by Nicholas Timothy CBE, who had previously served as Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff to former Prime Minister Theresa May.
In a short statement Matt Hancock congratulated Mr Timothy this evening saying “Many congratulations to Nick Timothy, a fantastic choice as Conservative candidate for West Suffolk.
Being local MP for West Suffolk has been a huge honour the past 13 years. Best wishes for his campaign - he'll make a terrific Member of Parliament.”
The setback comes after Dr Hudson's defeat in the local conservative selection for the new Penrith and Solway Constituency in February, where he lost to current Workington MP Mark Jenkinson. The impending redrawing of constituencies ahead of the next general election will see the Penrith and The Border constituency being scrapped, with Penrith being incorporated into the new Penrith and Solway Constituency.
However, amid the recent developments, speculation has arisen that Dr Hudson might be approached to stand for the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, which will encompass a portion of the current Penrith and The Border constituency. Nonetheless, with tonight's second failure to secure a selection, it remains uncertain whether Dr Hudson will pursue a third attempt at candidacy for the next general election.
Intriguingly, edits were made to Dr Hudson's Wikipedia page ahead of the West Suffolk selection process. Notably, details about Dr Hudson's family life in Edinburgh and the name of his wife, who works for the Scottish Parliament, were removed. Also, references to Dr Hudson's controversial selection in Penrith in 2019, which led to the resignation of several members of the local conservative committee, were scrubbed from the page.
These developments mark a significant turn of events in Dr Neil Hudson's political career, raising questions about his future plans and prospects within the Conservative Party.
Dr Hudson has not made any statement on this evenings latest blow to his political career or if he plans to remain as the Penrith and The Border MP for the remainder of the current parliamentary term following the double rejection by conservatives in two constituency selections in recent months.
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