Eddie Hughes become first 'displaced' MP to find new home
Eddie Hughes has become the first 'displaced' Tory MP to find a new home after he was selected to contest a Staffordshire constituency.
The MP decided to move on from Walsall North at the next general election, with his current seat due to be carved up under boundary changes.
He has now been selected to fight Tamworth after winning a tight contest against Tom Byrne, who works as an advisor to West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.
Mr Hughes won Walsall North for the Tories in 2017 after nearly 40 years of Labour domination. He extended his majority to nearly 12,000 at the last general election.
Under Conservative Party rules he was considered a 'displaced' MP due to the impact of boundary changes and was allowed to apply for other seats.
Announcing his decision to move on earlier this year, he said: "Since June 2021 I have been fighting with the Boundary Commission to keep Bloxwich, Willenhall and Walsall North together. Initially the Commission proposed a Bloxwich and Brownhills constituency and split Willenhall into two Wolverhampton constituencies.
"In November last year, it felt as though the rug had been pulled out from under my feet as the commission proposed a new constituency of Walsall and Bloxwich which, in my view, divides our towns and threatens to rip apart the identities of our communities and has effectively abolished the constituency of Walsall North.
"This means that I am now considered to be displaced and I am unable to represent Walsall North at the next general election. It’s not a decision that I’ve taken lightly."
The current Tamworth MP is Chris Pincher, who sits as an independent after he had the Conservative whip removed in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.
The seat has been Conservative since 2010, with Mr Pincher's majority standing at 19,634.
Wolverhampton South West MP Stuart Anderson and West Bromwich East MP Nicola Richards have also been classed as 'displaced' and are looking for new seats.
