'Battle of Waterlooville' blow for Suella Braverman in Tory contest for new seat

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A Conservative councilor in Suella Braverman's new constituency would "try" to campaign for Home Secretary if she wins the nomination.

Caroline Brook has said she 'fundamentally disagrees' with Ms Braverman and would struggle to knock on doors for her re-election.

Ms Braverman takes on compatriot Tory Flick Drummond during a party vote to become the party's nominee for a proposed new constituency, Fareham and Waterlooville.

The constituency boundary changes will see the two Hampshire MPs go head-to-head in what has been dubbed the Battle of Waterlooville.

But Ms Brook, a Conservative councilor from Winchester, where Ms Braverman hopes to represent, said she would 'fight' to support her.

Speaking to Times Radio, she said, "I would struggle. I would struggle. Yeah, I would, I would struggle. I fundamentally disagree with her on some of her views.

"I'm sure over time I would get to know her. And she would actually pick up the phone and talk to me, which she failed to do during the whole process."

One issue on which Ms Brook disagrees with the Home Secretary is his intention to reduce the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.

As well as deporting some to Rwanda, the Home Secretary plans to house Channel migrants on barges across the UK. Ms Braverman was due to present plans on Wednesday to house more than 500 asylum seekers on a boat off the Dorset coast.

The proposal was opposed by local Conservative MP Richard Drax as well than Conservative-run Dorset Council. Last month, Ms Braverman said her crackdown on small boat crossings 'pushes the boundaries of international law'.

And Ms Brook, an adviser since 2016, said: 'Boat policy, for example, I struggle with the way it's implemented.

"I'm not convinced that doing something borderline anti-international by dealing with international people, I basically don't think we should get around that and say, 'We think it's legal'.

"Because it endangers our people who live abroad, our residents who live abroad, because if we are straddling the fact that we think it's legal, maybe it's not entirely true, why should they treat our people fairly in their country ?So basically I disagree on some key points."

A number of constituency changes have been proposed across the UK as part of the boundary review of 2023.

The review began in January 2021 and its final recommendations are expected...