Ellee Seymour

Can John Reid please tell me why a dangerous killer is on the loose in Cambridge? He slipped the net in Debenham’s yesterday while on a day trip to the city from nearby Haverhill Prison.

We have been warned not to approach Mark Ryder . He killed a man after escaping from a prison-organised boating trip to Brighton Marina in the 1990s; he was serving a jail term for stealing cars at the time and murdered a childhood friend who was a love rival.

Police have warned the public not to approach Ryder, but to contact them immediately. If he is regarded as so dangerous, why was he allowed to roam freely like this in a public place, particularly bearing in mind how he escaped before when out with prison officers and killed an innocent man?

He will not have any money and he is bound to be desperate. And the chances are nobody would recognise him from the pic submitted by police to the media because he doesn’t look anything like that now. Today he is described as having shaved hair, greying at the sides and short on top.

This makes me wonder, do the prisons update pics of inmates who are serving a long sentence? This mugshot was probably taken during Ryder’s arrest, it’s not even in colour, does nobody have a recent photo of him? If not, why not, and how can the public be expected to recognise him, or even the police?

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It’s not every day you get the chance to be part of a small group discussing hot topics of the day with a Shadow Minister. Especially when the subject is health, an issue causing great concern up and down the country as our hospital’s struggle to survive and staff morale is at an all-time low.

A forum was held yesterday on the NHS and hospital closures by the Conservative Women’s Organisation and among those who attended were members working in the health sector who were able to quiz the urbane Andrew Lansley first hand about the recently announced Tory health plans.

Andrew was great company and answered questions from everyone in detail. I also met up with Woman’s Officer Liz St Claire (see pic), would-be parliamentarian Janice Small and fellow blogger Martine.

It was a shame that more members did not take advantage of this great opportunity, there were only about 30 or so there last night, it was a missed opportunity for many. And it was free.

The CWO is a great way to connect women with the thrust of political life, as well as other like-minded women. Let’s hope they pass the word around for future forums so Andrew and his colleagues will next time be talking to a packed room with standing room only.

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Distance was no object for barrister James Tumbridge, who is now on the latest shortlist of 10 for the next round of Conservative candidates contesting the plum Mid-Norfolk seat tomorrow.

He had flown to Canada for the weekend when the message came to say there was now a place for him in the line-up, having not been selected for the original list this weekend. This followed the news that Annunziata Rees-Mogg was offered a seat in Somerset and Frome. I’m not sure if there have been other changes too.

James emailed me and said:

“I’m typing this quickly from Canada, I just bought a ticket home – BA promised it wouldn’t be that much but it cost 500 pounds! It doesn’t matter – Mid Norfolk is more important to me.”

James is a local candidate who is not on the A-list and stood against 18 A-listers last weekend. You certainly can’t be more committed than this, best of luck James, you deserve to win, you have the enduring qualities as well as the passion to lead a vigorous campaign and become a great MP.

Update: 14 October, John Flack, an Essex businessman with strong local connections and former chairman of Conservatives in the Eastern Region, is also in the line up today. He is another fantastic candidate, what a tough choice.

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