To Barnet, where a council by-election will take place on Thursday. Former councillor Joshua Conway lost his Hendon ward seat after a change of jobs made him ineligible to serve on the council. Six candidates are in the running for the council seat – but the contest is shaping up to be a two-horse race between the Conservatives and Reform. But Mr S has noticed some rather curious goings-on in the former Tory safe seat…

It would appear that the Conservatives are funnelling resource after resource into the council by-election campaign in the form of, er, very senior politicians. Not only has the party bussed in swathes of activists, Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick and even party leader Kemi Badenoch have all traipsed around Barnet on the campaign trai

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