Oliver Marre, Ann Widdecombe, and btw Iain Dale

Oliver Marre leads the Observer's Pendennis today with a scoop concerning the fairly imminent departure of Ms Ann Widdecombe from the HoP to feature in pasta and cat food advertising:

It's farewell, then, to Ann Widdecombe, who tells me that she plans to stand down from Parliament at the next election. But do not despair. We are going to see a lot more of her in the coming months, for I learn that she has launched a new career in advertising.
...
Widdecombe explains that once she is free of her parliamentary shackles, she will be able to dedicate more time to writing and her budding television career, as well as considering more advertisements. 'I'd do it again, but only if it's decent, truthful and something I actually like,' she says. 'Catfood, maybe'.

This means that, unless there is an autumn election, and Ann's bones, like LoL's, she says, 'tell me there won't be', Maidstone and the Weald constituency will be a very attractive political freehold for sale or rent.

Can any reader think of anyone on the Tory list who's based anywhere down Kent way?


Incidentally, Iain Dale has only today changed his blog masthead back to include a visual reference to the HoP (above). This was mid afternoon I reckon. About when a busy Tonbridge gentleman might have got through his Sunday Times, Sunday Telehgraph and his whirl of media appointments to relax with the Observer. A quick change as a call for new designs was only yesterday.

The LOL graphics department were certainly thinking they had longer. I'll give them the hurry up.

Iain Dale was of course Ms Widdecombe's accomplice and chauffeur on various conversational theatrical engagements.

He boosted her as a London mayoral candidate, has conspired on audio publications.

And he has been an unashamed plugger of Ann's wares (right).