Is the master of the dark arts at it again? Sir Gavin Williamson is back in the headlines following a row about an alleged last-minute stitch up in his Staffordshire seat. With Reform riding high in the polls, every Tory MP is fearing for their future, given Richard Tice’s pledge to stand candidates across the country. But that won’t be a problem for Williamson in his newly-created constituency of Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge where the Reform nominee stood down at the very last minute. How convenient eh?
Tom Wellings had been confirmed to fight the seat for Reform, having apparently submitted his nomination papers on Wednesday. But with an hour to go before Friday’s Electoral Commission 4 p.m deadline, Wellings then withdrew from the contest and endorsed Williamson, saying he was concerned that his candidacy risked handing victory to Labour. In comments reported by the Mirror, Wellings said:
The polls indicate that Labour is close to winning the seat in our constituency.
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