Tory turmoil this week, as their ‘future housing minister’ stood down as a candidate for election.
This wasn’t shadow housing minister Grant Shapps, but ‘Cameron cutie’ Joanne Cash – the party’s candidate for the Westminster North seat, and a lady tipped for the housing post by Tatler magazine.
Ms Cash resigned her bid to oust Labour stalwart Karen Buck from the Westminster seat at a meeting on Monday night, after apparently falling out with constituency chair Amanda Sayers.
However yesterday she was back, posting on Twitter: ‘I did resign. Assoc did not accept. CCHQ has resolved specific issue so I am not leaving. It’s official DC has changed the party!!!!!!!!’
Exactly what went on behind the scenes, and why the Conservative Party HQ and David Cameron had to get involved in sorting out a local squabble, is a little murky.
According to reports, party chair Eric Pickles turned up at the meeting on Monday night to support Ms Cash’s attempts to stop Ms Sayers seeking a fourth term as chair of the local association.
His intervention was successful, but local president Lord Strathclyde then threw a spanner in the works by stepping down, allowing Ms Sayers to be voted in as his replacement. At this point, Ms Cash threw in towel.
But the will of central office could not be so easily ignored, and further manoeuvring has clearly seen Ms Cash – who is regarded as one of Cameron’s A list of women candidates – reinstated.
Whether or not she will end up as housing minister, or indeed win the seat, remains to be seen, but the affair once again shows the tensions between Tory central office and some of its constituency parties.
DC may have changed the party, but has he changed it enough?
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Readers' comments (1)
kass | 10/02/2010 10:49 am
the fact is, that if housing has any weight, as it should have, in the next general election the tories will lose it.
You won't believe the amount of opportunities the tories have had to really come up with something decent to overtake Labour on housing and time and time again just proffered nonsense... It is now too late for tories to do anything, because even if they perform a miracle at the last minute and suddenly pull a rabbit from the hat with something really good, they have lost the race on housing as we have stopped listening to them for having been put off by all the garbage thrown at us so far.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment