Fixing CCHQ: How the Conservatives can improve Candidate Selection. Experiences from my time on the list - and three recommendations on how it can be improved. edrith.co.uk/p/bring-back-t…

Paul is right. It would be madness to limit candidates to 10 minute speeches. Our part needs to get this decision right, that is top priority for conference so why not allow adequate time?

Paul Goodman Obviously agree re the absurdity of 10 minutes, but personally I also want to hear from Rishi Sunak. Why does he think the result was as bad as it was, anything he would have done differently given benefit of hindsight, advice for successor etc

What a sign of the times. The Cummings-Levitto-isation of politics. Everything in bite size chunks for the lowest common denominator. No intellectual depth or breadth (or expectation of intelligence of speaker or audience), no ability to engage with philosophical foundations.

I agree with Paul

I agree with Paul on this. Ten minutes ? an MP candidate hustings is far tougher test than this. They need to prove on stage they can truly hold the public attention. Personally I would add some polling into these speeches to the public and allow membership to see that polling.

Giving each leadership candidate a platform to make their case is the overriding purpose of the upcoming Conservative conference. In my view, the candidates should get to make their own version of the leader’s speech.

10 minutes is far too short!

Paul Goodman is right. To limit leadership candidates to 10 min speeches would be foolish- hope whoever is proposing this thinks again

'Once it becomes obvious that CCHQ is not playing fair, there is no way of knowing how far it goes...by the end I had no trust in CCHQ not to flat-out lie to me.' Three ways to reform Conservative candidate selection. edrith.co.uk/p/bring-back-t…

Congratulations to Sir Paul Marshall, new owner of The Spectator. The price, £100m, is a huge vote of confidence in The Spectator, its writers and (most of all) its potential. After a long auction, the next chapter in our 196-year history can finally begin spectator.co.uk/article/the-sp…

The final four candidates for Leader of the Conservative Party have been announced.

The limit has been lifted to 20mins. Better.

Curious. UK Treasury refuses to disclose key details of £22bn fiscal ‘black hole’ via Financial Times - The FT’s freedom of information request for more details was denied. on.ft.com/3Tq9tlS