Policing Minister Chris Philip has rejected a claim that Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden has been parachuted into a safe seat ahead of the General Election.
He told GB News: “In terms of the Party Chairman Richard Holden, I think he has spoken to a number of journalists since the selection.
“He went before the party membership or the party's executive in Basildon and Billericay, there was a vote and he was unanimously adopted.
“Now, because it was very short notice it was just a very short time before the nomination deadline. He was the only candidate put forward because of that very short timeframe.
“But, you know, when you get a snap election and some seats haven't been selected, it's a bit of a scramble and so you get these emergency rules sometimes used.”
Asked why people should trust the Conservatives, he said: “When Labour left office 14 years ago, unemployment was 8%. It's now gone down to 4%.
“…thanks partly to our Brexit trade freedoms, we've jumped up, we're now the world's fourth largest exporter. We were seventh previously. So our exports and our trade is surging.”
He added: “There are so many questions where Keir Starmer has nothing to say. He is going to come under a lot of pressure in the coming weeks to answer those questions. He can't be seriously asking to become Prime Minister with no plan.
“We do have a plan, it is working and I'm confident about taking that message to the public across the country through interviews like this but also in my own neighbourhood in Croydon as well.”
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