Clinging on to Gloucester?
A chill must have gone down the spine of this morning. He is the Conservative candidate for Gloucester at the next election, with high hopes of winning.
Labour has a 4,271 majority in the constituency, and it must be ripe for picking next time - one of David Cameron's obvious targets.
Only today, the Labour MP for Gloucester, the former minister .
By convention, when a former Labour MP is the Speaker, he is not opposed by the Conservatives (Labour used to abide by the same convention with former Tory MPs who became Speaker, but dropped the practice years ago.)
So If Mr Dhanda does become Speaker, Mr Graham will be expected to stand down and give the sitting MP a straight, and the Tories will suddenly be deprived of one of their targets (though the Lib Dems would probably still stand).
In fact becoming Speaker is probably Mr Dhanda's best hope of holding onto Gloucester.
Indeed Labour MPs have suggested to me recently that they ought to find someone from amongst their ranks with a marginal seat for this very reason.
But Mr Dhanda is of course an honourable man, and no such thought could possibly explain why he is putting his name forward.
And Mr Dhanda must have some chance of winning, since he seems to be one of only two Labour MPs officially in the running so far - Margaret Beckett declared this afternoon - and, in case you have forgotten, Labour still has a good Commons majority.
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Comment number 1.
At 10th Jun 2009, barriesingleton wrote:IS THIS AN EDGY NEWSNIGHT EUPHEMISM COMP?
Clinging on to Gloucester. Ooo-er missus.
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Comment number 2.
At 10th Jun 2009, JunkkMale wrote:Do what?
Or, rather, do the voters of Gloucestershire have any thoughts on the fact that their right to representation gets 'traded' in this way?
Serve Labour (and The Conservatives) right if such shenanigans don't result in one of those 'fringe' parties that now frequently poll more than them get in.
Bit of a typo BTW, I suspect: it should read 'Labour still has a Commons majority'. As it is now de rigeur to speak for all, 'we' tend not to use the adjective 'good' with any of them, but certainly not any of Gordon's whipping boys (no girls left are there?).
And Barrie, I am still wrestling with 'give the sitting MP a straight..' , so please don't start:)
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Comment number 3.
At 10th Jun 2009, JunkkMale wrote:There is also, possibly, the small matter of this too:
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Comment number 4.
At 10th Jun 2009, stanilic wrote:My MP is also trying to become Speaker. If he does become Speaker and the other parties won't run against him then I just might. There have been too many cosy incestuous arrangements in the Commons of late.
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Comment number 5.
At 10th Jun 2009, threnodio wrote:Perhaps everyone in the constituency regardless of political allegiance, join the Labour party and conspire to deselect him.
Unopposed indeed!
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