Beckenham Primary Election

Sunday afternoon on a cold December day is not an ideal time to hold a three and a half hour public meeting. Nevertheless the 150 people who did attend the Beckenham primary election today were given a treat.
The time passed quickly, people stayed alert throughout and all five candidates performed well. None of them used any notes, and all spoke authoritatively.
The pre-prepared questions were mundane and predictable, and fortunately the varied answers were more lively.
At the time I reckoned that Col Bob Stewart – who was first up - clinched it after five minutes. He enraptured the audience and went on to win convincingly in only the second ballot.
After the result he was as scared as he’s been in his entire life, and truly humbled. He paid tribute to his fellow contestants from whom he felt he had stolen the honour.
It’s a very tough time to try and become a Tory MP – I should know, I tried.