Although local party anger has been expressed over the selection of Conservative Chairman Richard Holden as the party's candidate for Basildon and Billericay, he has been appointed at the very last minute as the party's candidate. The BBC contacted two local Tory officials and they said Mr Holden was the only candidate offered by the National Party to represent Essex. 

The former Tory official said the move was a "slap in the face" for local Conservatives. The cabinet minister told the BBC that the decision had 'gone down like a bucket of cold sick'. He did not respond to requests for comment. A Conservative Party spokesperson said he had been "unanimously chosen". A Conservative Party spokesperson stated that he had been elected unanimously. Despite serving North West Durham, nearly 300 miles further north, since 2019, the party chairman will be expelled from the seat for this year's election as part of a review of UK seat boundaries, which means that he will have to find another seat. 

A small number of senior association members attended Mr Holden's address on Wednesday evening in the constituency where he represented the senior political association. It was reported that the entire local executive committee was quite dissatisfied with the way the central party handled the issue, but Mr Holden ultimately did "align" with the views and values of locals. In the opinion of another activist - who was not present in the room - the choice of Mr Holden was a "very poor decision" since several cabinet ministers are fighting marginal seats and are aware that they will lose their seats. In addition to making himself a safe seat, Richard has also used a process that is completely insane. 

As the Conservative Party scrambles to put together a full slate of candidates before the registration deadline on Friday, the Conservative Party is putting together a full slate of candidates. The Tory MP for Basildon and Billericay has been in the House of Commons since 2001. Last October, he announced that he would be leaving the House of Commons. As a result of his last election victory, the seat was attractive to the Tories as it yielded a 20,412 majority, which made it an ideal location for candidates of the party to run this time around. 

Earlier this year, the local association chairman, Richard Moore, told the BBC that the group would be given the option to pick their candidate at a meeting scheduled for a choice of three candidates from the national party. He added that local members were "extremely put out" that the party had waited until two days before the close of nominations to put forward a candidate. "This could have all been done in March or April," he said, adding that the central party had "sat on this for seven months". Andrew Baggot, a local Conservative councillor, also criticised the process, calling it a "slap in the face to local councillors, volunteers and the membership". 

Basildon Conservative Association's executive council is expected to meet next week to discuss the next steps for fighting the decision. According to him, members of the association are exploring options to fight the decision. There have been numerous selection disputes in the Labour Party involving left-wing candidates, including Diane Abbott, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn. In addition, the Conservatives have been triggering discontent within local party branches for a while, following the same process as the opposition. The Conservatives are expected to fill dozens of seats before Friday, but they have also been following a systematic approach. 

While the party is scrambling to fill places, several Tory advisers have been selected to run for relatively safe seats for the party during the selection process. As it turns out, Will Tanner, an adviser to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has been chosen to run for Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket. He is reportedly one of three candidates on the list drawn up by the party's headquarters. In Wellingborough and Rushden, Mr Sunak's deputy political secretary, David Goss, has been selected, while in Great Yarmouth, James Clark, a former adviser to the Defence Secretary, has been chosen. 

The Conservative Party usually shortlists and approves candidates through local Conservative associations, along with national officials who approve selections. The Labour Party normally offers local branches the opportunity to select candidates based on the longlists that have been approved by the central party. In the closing days of the campaign, local members have been reduced to less than their usual role, as the national party is focusing on filling target seats or seats where MPs are stepping down or suspensions are taking place. As a result, Alex Harrison has been selected as the Labour candidate for Basildon and Billericay, while Stephen Conlay has been selected as the Reform UK candidate and Stewart Goshawk has been selected as the Green candidate.