James Forsyth James Forsyth

Grant Shapps addresses the 1922 committee

Grant Shapps, the new Tory chairman, has been addressing the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers this evening. Shapps appears to have gone down fairly well. MPs are glad to have a Chairman who is in the Commons after two and a bit years with a peer doing the job, though Andrew Feldman remains a co-chair.

Shapps told MPs that he was keen for CCHQ to offer them every assistance it can. He announced that he would be placing a CCHQ staffer in the whip’s office several days a week so they could handle MPs’ requests.

I also expect that there will not be the usual by-election edict for the Corby contest. There appears to be an appreciation that making MPs make multiple trips up there would not go down well given that the by-election has been caused by an MP quitting of her own volition.

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