Theresa May’s ex-adviser Nick Timothy picked as Tory candidate to exchange Matt Hancock in West Suffolk

Jul 31, 2023 at 12:14 AM
Theresa May’s ex-adviser Nick Timothy picked as Tory candidate to exchange Matt Hancock in West Suffolk

Theresa May’s former chief of employees has entered the race to exchange former well being secretary Matt Hancock on the subsequent election.

Nick Timothy was picked because the Conservative candidate for the West Suffolk constituency on Sunday night.

Politics Hub: Number of Tories stepping down at 26-year high

Local Tory councillor Lance Stanbury stated he “understands all the issues” and “will make a great candidate”.

Mr Hancock will likely be standing down on the subsequent normal election after greater than a decade as an MP.

He was first elected in 2010 underneath David Cameron‘s management of the celebration and has been re-elected twice, most just lately with a 23,000 majority in 2019.

But he has been sitting as an impartial since November following his decision to appear on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of here.

His dedication to the ITV sequence noticed him have the Tory whip removed, and he later announced he would stand down from parliament.

Mr Hancock, who quit as health secretary after he was found to have broken lockdown rules during the pandemic while having an affair with an aide, congratulated Mr Timothy on his choice.

“Best wishes for his campaign, he’ll make a terrific member of parliament,” he posted on X (Twitter).

Timothy’s blended report in politics

Mr Timothy was born in Birmingham however is believed to have sturdy household ties to West Suffolk.

He was a key adviser to Mrs May throughout her first 12 months as prime minister, but quit after her decision to call a snap general election in 2017 spectacularly backfired.

The Tories noticed their majority in parliament worn out as then Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn exceeded expectations.

It marked the start of the tip for Mrs May’s premiership, as she didn’t get her Brexit deal by way of a deeply divided parliament and was forced to resign in 2019.

Mr Timothy, a Brexiteer, was beforehand a particular adviser to Mrs May throughout her time as residence secretary.

He was ousted from that function amid tensions between his boss after which prime minister Mr Cameron.

He was later barred from the Tories’ candidates checklist for the 2015 normal election.