Former Tory MP who quit as deputy police chief now wants the top job

THE Conservatives have chosen Flick Drummond as their Hampshire police and crime commissioner election candidate – despite her having previously resigned from the deputy role after just two weeks.

Mrs Drummond, a former MP, said she was “absolutely delighted” to have been selected by the Tories to fight for the PCC role in May 2020.

“The job is one of vital importance to everyone in the two counties,” she said, adding her campaigning would be based on “three key priorities”.

Those are: ensuring Hampshire police get a fair allocation of government funding, more visible policing, and a more transparent and efficient PCC who is “accountable to people on every level”.

The PCC role is currently occupied by Michael Lane, who won the last election as the Conservative Party candidate in May 2016 by defeating the county’s first PCC, Independent Simon Hayes.

He had bid to once again be the Tory PCC candidate for 2020 but was dropped by members amid falling police numbers and a series of spending controversies.

They included the budget allocated for running his office and him bringing in a deputy at a cost of more than £64,000 – the latter controversy which memorably featured Mrs Drummond.

She lost her seat as the Conservative MP for Portsmouth South at the 2017 general election but a short time later Mr Lane announced he had handpicked her for his newly created deputy role.

It was a move that caused much controversy – Liberal Democrat Cllr David Harrison at the time claimed the role was a “cosy little number” created between Tories.

It also landed Mr Lane in trouble. He was rebuked by Hampshire Police and Crime Panel for briefing the press about her initial candidacy before panel members were told, in breach of protocol.

But just two weeks later Mrs Drummond quit the position, with both her and Mr Lane confirming the pair had not got on.

Publicly she stated: “Sometimes it is not possible to build a professional relationship between two people, through no fault of either party. In such a situation it is right I leave to avoid any disruption to the work of the PCC and his staff.”

Mrs Drummond also declared she had an ambition to be re-elected to parliament.

A resident of Southsea, Portsmouth, Mrs Drummond is married with four grown children.

Before her two-year spell as an MP she worked as an insurance broker, Ofsted lay school inspector, and was a member of the Territorial Army Intelligence Corps.

Mrs Drummond was selected as the Tory candidate during a vote taken at a party membership meeting in Winchester on Sunday.

“I would like to thank everyone who voted for me today and I pledge to repay their faith in me as I campaign over the coming months on Conservative police and crime policies and work hard on framing new initiatives to ensure, if elected, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is the safest possible place to live and work,” she added.