Sub-postmistress Yvonne has vowed to take on Davey at the polls - Go now Sir Ed and avoid humiliation, says Kelvin Mackenzie

Who knew that thanks to the ITV docudrama Mr Bates would turn out to be much more powerful than a Minister of the Crown?

Now it’s clear Sir Ed is actually going to lose his career, not to Mr Bates, but to another sub-postmistress, a lady called Yvonne Tracey.

Ms Tracey, 67, was elected as an independent to Kingston council in Surrey, in November, 2022.

Yvonne had a number of things going for her. She was local girl having lived in the area all her life.

She has taken her council work seriously. Looked at her voting record and it’s immaculate.

But her winning card at the General Election in November, when she stands against Sir Ed in his constituency, is that she worked in the local New Malden post office for two decades.

She was outraged at the way freedoms, livelihoods and careers were destroyed in the scandal.

So she will battle it out with Sir Ed on the hustings and I have no doubt she will wipe the floor with him.

And that’s if he stands.

It is clear he is now a liability to the Lib Dims. The Kingston constituency abuts Esher which the party believed correctly they had a good chance of winning.

Now I am not so sure.

My advice to Sir is go now and avoid the humiliation of an Election defeat.