ANALYSIS: Tory Grassroots and MPs Triumph After Party HQ Abandons Fast-Track Candidate Selection Plans

Senior MPs, including former prime minister Liz Truss, opposed CCHQ’s plan to expedite candidate selection, while Conservative activists demand local autonomy

Rishi Sunak leaves the Conservative Campaign Headquarters in London, Oct. 24, 2022. The Canadian Press/AP-David Cliff

The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) abandoned its efforts to expedite the Tory parliamentary candidate selection process yesterday after more than 40 MPs spoke out against its proposals, in a significant victory for the party’s grassroots and backbench MPs. 

Over 40 MPs, backed by a public petition by the Conservative Post publication, expressed vehement opposition to CCHQ’s proposed changes, rallying against the perceived threat to local autonomy in national candidate selection.