07 Nov 2023
Clare De Silva, the Conservatives’ first choice to take on Lib Dem MP Daisy Cooper at the next General Election, resigned from the role in June, less than a year after her selection in August 2022, and shortly after the Tories were roundly defeated in the district council elections.
Before this time, Clare was a very visible figure in the constituency and regularly commented on key issues affecting local voters.
At the time of her resignation, her agent Jane West told the St Albans Times: “Clare made the difficult decision to step back from being spokesperson in St Albans for personal reasons, and it would be inappropriate for me to give any of the details. We appreciate and thank Clare for all the hard work she has put in over the past year and wish her all the very best for the future.”
While we appreciate the obvious sensitivity surrounding her resignation, we do have to ask why she so swiftly put her name forwards as a candidate for the Tory heartland constituencies of Broxbourne and Harpenden and Berkhamsted. As it happened, she was not selected, with Broxbourne Parliamentary hopeful Lewis Cocking announced in July, and Nigel Gardner chosen for Harpenden and Berkhamsted in September. The closing date for nominations in Harpenden was the beginning of July.
Requests for comment from both Clare and the St Albans Conservative Association have not been answered, even though while James Spencer has now been selected as the new Tory hopeful for the seat, the party effectively lost an entire year promoting a candidate who will not be on the ballot sheet.
