Suella Braverman wins selection battle to keep her seat

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has won a vote of local party members to keep her seat in Parliament after a hard-fought battle between her and fellow local MP Flick Drummond. Due to boundary changes ahead of the next election by the Electoral Commission, Suella Braverman had to endure a head-to-head vote by local party members. 

Around 200 party members voted to select Mrs Braverman over Flick Drummond, meaning she will now stand in the Fareham and Waterlooville seat at the next election, expected next year. 

It is understood Suella Braverman beat Flick Drummond by 77 votes to 54.

Observers of the race spent weeks noting how tight the vote was going to be, with many members from Mrs Drummond’s side of the constituency appreciating her as a local MP. 

Confirming the vote, Mrs Braverman’s constituency branch said: “Congratulations to Suella Braverman on her selection as our Candidate for the new Fareham & Waterlooville Constituency”.

“We look forward to continuing our strong working relationship with her for the benefit of Fareham and now Waterlooville too.

“It’s important and an aim of everyone involved that we now bring Fareham and Waterlooville together and ensure we return Suella to Parliament and condemn flip-flop Labour to another election defeat.”

Cabinet Ministers like Mrs Braverman have to juggle the duties of ministerial office alongside representing their local area’s interests, and can risk upsetting local members if they feel they’re not as much attention than if their MP were on the backbenches. 

Mrs Braverman on the other hand faced an uphill battle. 

The meeting began at 7pm this evening, with both Mrs Braverman and Mrs Drummond addressing members before all in attendance got a vote. 

The constituency boundary changes have brought havoc, with sitting MPs have to battle against each other if one or more are affected by the review. 

Ahead of tonight’s vote, The Express learned how Suella Braverman had gone on a charm offensive with local members, combined with a positive few weeks of headlines that went down well with members – including Rwanda, the small boats plan and this weekend’s crackdown on child grooming gangs. 

She also brought Deputy Chair of the Tory Party Lee Anderson to her constituency for a well-attended event. 

Mr Anderson endorsed her, quipping: “Suella has come in for a lot of stick since becoming Home Secretary. But we all know why. Its cos there is not a Braver Man in Parliament”.

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