Local MP Jake Berry tipped as next Tory Party chairman
Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry is being tipped as the next Conservative Party chairman.
The former Northern Powerhouse minister is one of several names being touted at Westminster for the job.
It is reported that 15 of his House of Commons colleagues from Northern ‘Red Wall’ seats seized from Labour at the 2019 General Election has backed Mr Berry.
The Tory chairman’s job became vacant when its previous holder Oliver Dowden quit after the double by-election loss in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton last month.
Mr Berry is seen by colleagues as a good campaigner with workable policy ideas to ‘level up’ the North of England.
Other potential candidates being touted for the role include MPs Robert Halfon and Stephen McPartland.
Asked about the potential role as party chairman, Mr Berry said: “It is always a privilege to be asked to serve in government but I will never lose sight of the fact that my primary responsibility is to the residents of Rossendale and Darwen.”
It is understood that he has so far not been approached by Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the job.
Mr Berry has been MP for Rossendale and Darwen since 2010.