The Coulsdon Town councillor is fast running out of parliamentary options, reports WALTER CRONXITE, political editor
Epsom choice: Mhairi Fraser, the Tories’ choice for parliamentary candidate
It looks like the Conservative councillor elected to the Town Hall three times by the residents of Coulsdon has again been reckoned to be not good enough by Tory members in a Surrey constituency.
Mario Creatura’s quest to be selected as a Conservative parliamentary candidate was thwarted once again last night, as he finished second (of three) in a meeting held by Epsom and Ewell’s Conservative Association.
There’s nuffink yet on the official website of the Epsom and Ewell Conservative Association, where the most recent “news” is from November and a “Lunch with Jacob Rees-Mogg”. Perhaps they all got long-term food poisoning?
And the last tweet from Epsom’s Tories is a self-congratulatory leafleting group selfie, with Creatura grinning inanely at the back of the group, desperately trying to ingratiate himself all over again.
Load of good that did him.
Unimpressed: Epsom Tories rejected the Croydon councillor as their parliamentary candidate
Sources within the meeting say that Mhairi Fraser got the nod after a second-round of voting.
Fraser is a solicitor who was “strategy director” for Conservative Young Women and, like Creatura, has worked in the Commons and been a losing parliamentary candidate (Coatbridge, Chryston and Belshill, 2015). She may also harbour some extreme, Trumpian views.
Fraser replaces Chris “Failing” Grayling as the Tories’ parliamentary candidate for the seat. The worst transport secretary in the history of the world, who has been Epsom’s MP since 2001, will stand down from the House of Commons when PM Rishi Sunak calls the General Election.
Less certain is Creatura’s political future.
The former aide to Gavin Barwell, when he was Croydon Central MP, and Spad at No10 Downing Street (looking after Theresa May’s Twitter account) has been so desperate to become an MP himself, he literally “bet the house”, moving his home and family to Banstead in pursuit of selection for Reigate. He didn’t even make the shortlist there.
Will he ever accept “No” for an answer?
Grinning inanely: will Creatura (rear, right) have to start canvassing in another Tory seat?
By moving out of Croydon, Creatura has effectively disqualified himself for standing for re-election as a councillor in this borough, unless he nabs some kind of business address of convenience.
His “Westminster or bust” strategy has probably been based on the premise that his time as the Tories’ rising star has long passed. The writing has been on the Town Hall wall here since his disastrous 2019 parliamentary campaign in Croydon Central, and Creatura’s omission from any of the jobs in Mayor Jason Perry’s cabinet was a clear message.
So unless he finds another Conservative seat in search of a selfie-addicted, self-serving social media “expert”, Creatura may have to find other outlets for his energies – like actually doing some casework for the people of Coulsdon…
Read more: Creatura AWOL from cabinet as wannabe MP goes partying
Read more: Finally, Coulsdon’s Tory councillor Creatura cuts before he runs
Read more: Creatura hands Edwards front-row seat for Fairfield by-election
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