This is good news for the right of the party who had hoped to see Whittingdale elected. It is also some confirmation for Richard Ottaway's hopes to succeed Sir Michael Spicer as Chairman of the 1922 Committee. Christopher Chope's failure to win a seat is a similarly significant knock to his 1922 ambitions.
For background see this Guardian story.
The Guardian piece mentioned that 9 MPs were contesting the election, then they listed 8 names...who's the 9th?
Posted by: Andrea | October 25, 2006 at 21:35
Is Richard Ottaway still an MP? Is he that rather strange small man who had some position in the Major Government. Why is he on the Board. Christopher Chope is still an MP? He must be about 97?
Posted by: PAP | October 25, 2006 at 22:37
This seems like a nice balance. John Whittingdale is know to be a Thatcherite whilst Graham Stuart is a Cameroonie and Ottaway is a Clarkite.
Posted by: Justin Hinchcliffe | October 25, 2006 at 22:37
It's a shame that more of the newer MPs didn't put themselves forward.
Posted by: Ben Herbert | October 25, 2006 at 22:56
"This is good news for the right of the party"???
Posted by: Northerntory | October 25, 2006 at 23:03
Good to see John Whittingdale elected - an intelligent MP who should have a larger role within the party.
Posted by: John Travis | October 26, 2006 at 00:27
PAP @ 22:37 - yes that's the one!!!
Posted by: Sally Roberts | October 26, 2006 at 06:33
Richard Ottaway is also Chairman of the 2006 All Party Parliamentary Hearings on the Global Impact of population increase.
He will give a presentation ( along with Adair Turner and the BBC's John Simpson)on the issue of Population Growth at the Royal Geographical Society on 6th December.
He is therefore one of the few MP's to see that with world population set to rise by 40% over the next 45 years to 9 billion - climate change, destruction of the environment, third world poverty and international conflict are only symptoms not causes.
Good for him.
Posted by: RodS | October 26, 2006 at 08:14
It would be great Tim if we could have a breakdown of the votes cast.
Posted by: Peter | October 26, 2006 at 09:42
PAP et al.
Chris Chope is not 97 (hilarious joke though - considered giving up the day job?). He is 59 and his children are still at school.
He is indeed an MP due to having a majority of 15,559 in Christchurch.
Posted by: Julian H | October 26, 2006 at 10:03
Thank you for the kind remarks. I hope that it does not turn out to be a poisoned chalice. Several of my colleagues have had great delight in telling me that Board Members are jointly and severally liable for the Party's debts!
I am elected on a mandate that I support the principle that constituency associations are sovereign and that, except in a small number of cases where they are no longer viable, they should have the ultimate right to decide on issues such as amalgamation and candidate selection.
Posted by: John Whittingdale MP | October 26, 2006 at 18:27
I wouldn't trust Heselteenie Ottaway as far as I could throw him, although I suppose even somebody like him counts as centre-right these days.
Whittingdale is very good news, however. We need to recapture this party for the sane centre right and clear out the Eurofanatic pink tendency.
Posted by: Stuart Raven | October 26, 2006 at 19:17
Ben - Graham Stuart is a new M.P, being the one for Beverley and Holderness.
It is pleasing to read what John Whittingdale writes, especially with the all women shortlists and A list only selection policy that CCHQ is pushing.
Posted by: Sasha | October 30, 2006 at 22:28