Another bullseye for Archer
I bumped into Nadhim Zahawi at a conference given by this morning, who told me that he had just been chosen as the Conservative candidate for the safe seat of Stratford-on-Avon.
I didn't have the heart to remind Mr Zahawi, but this news will no doubt have given the former Conservative Deputy Chairman and Lord, Jeffrey Archer, a quiet smile of satisfaction.
Zahawi was Archer's personal assistant during his aborted bid for London Mayor back in 1998-9, when Archer was forced to quit over revelations which eventually led to the peer going to jail for perjury.
Indeed, assuming he gets elected this spring, then Nadhim Zahawi will become the fourth of Archer's personal assistants to become a Conservative MP. One was David Faber, who quit politics to become a professional writer. The other two, David Mellor and Richard Ryder, both made it to John Major's cabinet table.
I'm Michael Crick, and I'm Newsnight's political editor. My guiding rule is that in any story there's usually something the politicians would prefer the world not to know. My job is to find that out. Follow me on
Comment number 1.
At 22nd Feb 2010, stanilic wrote:Network for the Post-Bureaucratic Age? Surely you jest, Michael?
Not doing very well are they?
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Comment number 2.
At 22nd Feb 2010, TheBlameGame wrote:Cue tumbleweed.... and cicadas.
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Comment number 3.
At 24th Feb 2010, David Evershed wrote:Come on Michael. You must have some facts/confidences you can reveal about behaviours in 10 Downing Street.
Even Nick Robinson is getting so frustrated with the denials that he is beginning to open up.
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Comment number 4.
At 25th Feb 2010, Isatou wrote:So no anti-Tory bias here from Crick ?
Really this blog is a joke.
Apart from Crick, everyone has forgotten about Jeffrey Archer.
Pensfold ( above ) is right.
Come on Mikey boy, let's have some revelations about the current government !!!!
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Comment number 5.
At 16th Apr 2010, elsaj wrote:I think Mr Zahawi will bring a welcome multi-faith approach to politics. Before his adoption as Tory candidiate for Stratford-upon-Avon, we read in Tim Montgomerie's ConservativeΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ blog of September 20, 2009:
"I am going to start with two friends of Muslim background. On occasions I fear the party has rushed into promoting Muslims who 'tick a box' rather than ones who are genuinely stellar. There is nothing 'tick box' about ...Nadhim Zahawi."
But something seems to have happened on the road to Stratford-upon-Avon. We now read from Central Office:
"Nadhim and Lana, as committed Christians, regularly attend services at Holy Trinity Church."
I wonder what could have brought about this Pauline conversion?
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Comment number 6.
At 19th May 2010, The Nerd wrote:The sixth collection of engrossing 15 short stories from Sir Jeffrey Archer is inspired by people and situations from all around the world. The fact that Sir Jeffrey Archer needed some time on his own to work on the book βAnd Thereby Hangs a Tailβ was accepted happily by his readers (read me). His latest book "And Thereby Hangs A Tale" is available at huge discount at
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