Former Mid Beds MP Nadine Dorries slams "rigged" Conservative candidate selection

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, to vent her frustrations, Ms Dorries wrote: "I’ve had messages from inside the selection meeting at Mid Beds tonight that the whittling down to the final 3 candidates was rigged in order to ensure that [Festus Akinbusoye] didn’t get put through to the final 3 because ‘he would have won with the members.’

"He is a superstar and would have walked a [General Election]. Shocking news."

And responding to someone claiming he "didn't do so great" in the Police and Crime Commissioner election, she wrote "He won every ward in Mid Beds"

Last night (Thursday) Blake Stephenson was selected as the Conservatives' Mid Beds candidate for July's election from a shortlist of three. The other two shortlisted were Sue Clark - a Central Bedfordshire councillor, and Jamie Wallis - the MP for Bridgend until next week.

Festus Akinbusoye has said he is not “bitter or angry" about the decision.

But in a post on Facebook this morning, he wrote: “Though I lost the PCC [police and crime commissioner] election overall, I won in Central Bedfordshire and secured by far my highest vote tally in Mid Beds constituency (MORE than by-election total for any candidate).

“In fact, I won in EVERY polling district in Mid Beds. 3x Labour votes in one ward, 1.5x overall in the constituency.

“So of course, I am disappointed that I bizarrely did not get on final three as decided by local selection panel after interview.

“Apparently a very influential local member of the Panel stated to colleagues, ‘If he gets in final three, he will win with members’.

“I thought the point was for members to decide- Politics hunh! [sic]

“It will be very wrong to assume this had anything to do with Conservative Party HQ. This was all local.”

He added: “I remain my positive and happy self. As I believe so strongly in this country of ours and what it has given me. I won’t be deterred from doing my bit to make it better..one election win and defeat at a time.”

Mr Akinbusoye declined to comment further when approached.

The Mid Bedfordshire Conservatives Association was also approached but said “no one was available to comment”.