Will Nicholas Soames step aside to make way for Prime Minister Rudd?

Although Theresa May has returned from her summer holidays to find her job safe, it’s only a temporary fix to the Conservative party’s woes. MPs plan to keep May as Prime Minister until the end of the Brexit negotiations – by which point they hope to be able to have a Tory leadership contest which won’t descend into a bloodbath.

So, who will May’s successor be? In the new issue of The Spectator, Katy Balls reports that while Amber Rudd is proving a popular choice with MPs – her wafer-thin majority of 346 in Hastings and Rye remains a cause of concern. But fear not – Rudd’s supporters have a cunning plan in the offing:

‘One idea being touted by Rudd’s supporters is that a neighbouring MP with a safe seat — such as Nicholas Soames in Mid Sussex —could step aside for her.’

While Mr S suspects that Winston Churchill’s grandson would be reluctant to give up his seat, it’s worth noting that both politicians were ardent Remain campaigners in the EU referendum.