Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh has emerged as the surprise victor over Ryedale MP John Greenway in the selection battle for the new seat of Thirsk and Malton. Ryedale forms over half of the new seat and Mr Greenway had been expected to win the battle. Ms McIntosh's own seat will be broken up into six parts.
Anne McIntosh had been unsuccessfully applying for other seats around Britain and now will inherit a seat with a projected majority of 14,687. The former MEP may have been boosted in local members' minds by recently receiving a frontbench job - shadow minister for family welfare - from David Cameron.
Mr Greenway was apparently the victim of a strong faction within the Ryedale Association who had hoped to see him achieve shadow cabinet rank and by some anger that he not secure dual carriageway status for a major road in the constituency - quite a tall order for an opposition backbencher.
The other MP with an abolished seat - James Brokenshire - was also given promotion by David Cameron in the recent reshuffle. He'll learn whether he'll be adopted for the plum Tory seat of Witham tomorrow when he faces Charles Elphicke, Priti Patel and Geoffrey Van Orden in an open primary election (in which the new CCHQ requirement of half-women shortlists is waived).
