Photographs of David Cameron and various Tory MPs celebrating the Jubilee

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

David Cameron dispensing ice creams in Downing Street and with girl guides:

Robert Halfon at a Royal Legion Jubilee Party:

Stuart Andrew and friend waiting on the Commons Terrace for the pageant to pass by:

Rob Wilson with Sir John Madejski, Chairman of newly promoted Reading FC:

Matt Hancock and his predecessor Lord Risby (Richard Spring) planting a Jubilee Oak at Haverhill:

Steve Baker MP:

Welsh Minister David Jones:

Send any more photographs to tim@conservativehome.com.

Tory MPs refute media myth that Parliament being in recess means they are "on holiday"

By Matthew Barrett
Follow Matthew on Twitter.

On yesterday's Today programme, Justin Webb, introducing a section on the Lords, said "MPs are still on holiday but the House of Lords is sitting..."

Although he was later happy to acknowledge MPs are not, in fact, "on holiday", Webb set off a series of tweets from Tory MPs miffed at the fact they were being portrayed as taking too much time off. David Jones (Clwyd West) got the ball rolling

Memo to @JustinOnWeb:I'm not on holiday, and won't be having one until September. Do you stop working when #bbcr4today comes off the air?

— David Jones (@DavidJonesMP) May 29, 2012

Dan Byles (North Warwickshire) continued:

.@bbcnickrobinson on @BBCr4today once again repeats misconception that MPs "are on holiday". Doesn't BBC have duty to challenge such myths?

— Daniel Byles (@danielbyles) May 29, 2012

Continue reading "Tory MPs refute media myth that Parliament being in recess means they are "on holiday"" »

What is the Fresh Start Project? Matthew Barrett profiles the Tory MPs trying to forge a new UK-EU relationship

By Matthew Barrett
^{Follow Matthew on Twitter}

My series profiling the backbench groups of Tory MPs has usually featured groups with general ideological goals. Groups representing the traditional right or Thatcherite wing of the Party cannot be said to focus on a single area of political life. Nor can newer groups like the Free Enterprise Group, or the 2020 Conservatives. However, Fresh Start, the subject of this profile, is focused on one big area of politics: Europe.

Origins of Fresh Start

Fresh Start was formed before the summer recess in 2011, and formally launched in September last year, at an event to which all Conservative MPs were invited. Anthony Browne, in his ConservativeHome column, reported on the launch of Fresh Start at the time:

"By one count there were 104 Conservative MPs; another put it at 120 – twice the total number of Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons. Either way, it was standing room only in the Thatcher Room in Portcullis House last night, as much of the parliamentary Conservative party (and the odd hanger-on like me) met to discuss Britain’s way forward with the European Union."

The founders are Andrea Leadsom, Chris Heaton-Harris, and George Eustice, all 2010 intake members:

• Leadsom, the Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire, had a career in the City prior to entering politics, having been Financial Institutions Director at Barclays Bank, Managing Director of a London hedge fund and then, Head of Corporate Governance for Invesco Perpetual. Leadsom runs Fresh Start and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for European Reform (see below) from her office, and has regular co-ordinating messages with Heaton-Harris and Eustice.
• Heaton-Harris, from Daventry, which neighbours Leadsom's constituency, was a Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands region from 1999 until 2009. He was an advocate of reform and helped found the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform (CPR). Heaton-Harris also helped publicise the case of Marta Andreasen, now a UKIP MEP, who, as the European Commission's Chief Accountant, complained about fraud and waste in the European institutions in 2002. 
• Eustice is the Member of Parliament for Camborne and Redruth, and was a UKIP candidate for the South West of England region at the 1999 European Parliament elections. He has also been Campaign Director for the cross-party campaign against the €uro in 2000, Head of Press for Michael Howard during the 2005 election, and Press Secretary for David Cameron from when Cameron launched his leadership campaign until he was well established as leader, at the end of 2008. Eustice also played a key role in the Conservative effort to win a "no" vote in the AV referendum.

Continue reading "What is the Fresh Start Project? Matthew Barrett profiles the Tory MPs trying to forge a new UK-EU relationship" »

The famous Mrs Bone gets rejected as police commissioner candidate by Conservative HQ

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

Mrs Bone is one of the most famous spouses in Westminster. Peter Bone MP has turned her into a political celebrity by constantly quoting her opinions at Prime Minister's Questions.

Continue reading "The famous Mrs Bone gets rejected as police commissioner candidate by Conservative HQ" »

On day UKUncut protestors targeted Clegg family home, Tory MP Louise Mensch urges people to donate £5 to Lib Dem funds

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

Louise Mensch, the Tory MP for Corby is recommending that her followers donate £5 to the Liberal Democrats for today only.

She thinks it will show solidarity with the Cleggs who have been targeted by UNuncut protestors today. Hundreds gathered outside the Putney home of the Lib Dem leader, some chained themselves to railings and they held a noisy but apparently peaceful street party. No arrests were made but a large contingent of police officers had to be deployed. The Cleggs have young children and it can't have been pleasant for them (if they were at home) or for local families.

Louise is appalled and as gesture of solidarity with Nick Clegg and as a poke-in-the-eye for UK Uncut she suggested we all donate £5 to Lib Dem campaign funds.

I tweeted that if Louise wants to do something she should send a card and flowers to Mr and Mrs Clegg. I don't want my money going to finance Lib Dem leaflets so that the party can try and hold on to seats like Eastleigh, Torbay and Bath. Mark Wallace agrees:

I'll let Louise have the final word:

After attacking graverobber as "scumbag" Gavin Barwell MP is The Sun's "hero of the week"

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

Tory MP Gavin Barwell discovered that metal thieves had stripped a memorial from his father's grave. His reaction on his Twitter account was retweeted across the internet:

The Sun has made Mr Barwelll their "hero of the week" for his instinctive response:

"Politicians who speak their mind are a rare commodity. Most tip-toe around the issues, prevaricate and avoid saying anything that might loosen their grip on the greasy pole. So it was refreshing to hear Gavin Barwell speak with such honesty when he suffered a devastating personal setback this week. The Croydon Central MP was shocked to discover sick metal thieves had stolen a memorial plaque from the gravestone of his dad David, who died in 2005. The dad-of-three didn't pull his punches when he spoke about the incident because he'd one eye on his career. He branded the thief a "scumbag" and warned: "If I ever find out who you are, you are going to regret it." It was a very natural, very human response to an appalling crime. Mr Barwell had already impressed many in Westminster with his response to the devastating impact of last summer's riots on Croydon. At a time of crisis, he spoke out eloquently on behalf of the silent majority of law-abiding people in his town. We could do with a few more MPs like Mr Barwell in Westminster."

In the Commons yesterday Sir George Young told Mr Barwell that the Government was considering tougher penalties for those convicted of metal theft. Here is the full exchange:

Gavin Barwell (Croydon Central) (Con): "Last night I learned that the plaque marking my father’s grave has been stolen, along with a huge number of other plaques in Beckenham cemetery. I am sure that all Members share my utter contempt for people who would steal, and trade in, such memorials. The Government have taken some action in relation to the scrap metal industry, but may we have a debate on what other measures might be needed, and in particular the proposal raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South (David Mowat) at yesterday’s Prime Minister’s question on whether this should be an aggravating factor in sentencing?"

Sir George Young: "I am very sorry to hear of what happened to my hon. Friend’s father’s tombstone; I understand how distressing that must be. He will know what the Prime Minister said at yesterday’s PMQs. We have already taken some steps in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, but we recognise that other measures may well be needed. The Government are actively considering what further steps we might take, such as increasing the penalties and having a better regulatory regime for scrap metal, in order to avoid distressing incidents such as that which my hon. Friend described."

Group of Tory MPs recommend thirty policies to deliver growth in Britain's key industrial sectors

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

A number of Tory MPs led by Damian Collins have come together to propose a new industrial strategy for Britain. Mr Collins explains how the approach recommended by him and his colleagues is different from the industrial strategy of the 1970s and also a mythical laissez-faire policy:

"The industrial strategy of the 1970s saw Governments give direct financial aid to failing industries in order to protect jobs. Here people were in effect being paid to build cars that customers didn’t want to buy. That approach was unsustainable and it was in time new ownership, leadership, design, innovation and the commitment of the workforce that ultimately saved businesses like Jaguar and Land Rover from the state run motor industry. 21st century industrial strategy is not just about identifying where direct financial assistance can help accelerate the development of a business or economic region, as we are seeing in the Government’s strategy for enterprise zones and the regional growth fund. This has also been important in the development of new economic clusters, like Tech City, where Government support has acted as a catalyst for private enterprises to bring in much greater levels of investment. In addition to this we have to ensure that our tax and regulatory environment helps UK firms that are competing in a global economy to thrive. This is why, for example, the tax credits announced in the last budget for the production of high end television series, animation and video games were so important. Despite the UK having some of the best practitioners in the world, we were losing business to other countries that could undercut us on price significantly because they offered tax incentives to investors."

The group identifies 17 sectors of special importance:

1. Aerospace
2. Automotive
3. Aviation
4. Business Services
5. Creative Industries
6. Digital Economy
7. Energy
8. Finance
9. Green Technology
10. High Speed Rail
11. Innovation
12. Life Sciences
13. Ownership
14. Smart Data
15. Space (Philip Lee MP's essay on this topic is a fascinating read)
16. Textiles
17. Trade

Continue reading "Group of Tory MPs recommend thirty policies to deliver growth in Britain's key industrial sectors" »

Would you like to be a Tory MEP? There could be nine vacancies in 2014...

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

Yesterday the Tory list for the next European Parliamentary Elections in 2014 was opened. Please get in touch with the Conservative Party's Candidates Department if you think you'd make a good MEP. There should be a good number of vacancies...

• Since the last election two MEPs have left the Conservative Party; Edward McMillan-Scott from the Yorkshire region who joined the Liberal Democrats and Roger Helmer from the East Midlands who defected to UKIP.
• We also had one MEP defect to us; David Campbell Bannerman from UKIP, representing the East of England.

Four MEPs have already announced that they will be retiring:

• Struan Stevenson (Scotland)
• Robert Atkins (North West)
• Giles Chichester (South West)
• Robert Sturdy (Eastern)

It is very possible that there may be other retirements. Speculation focuses upon Timothy Kirkhope, Malcolm Harbour, James Elles and Geoffrey Van Orden.

This could mean that there will be nine vacancies in the Tory MEP delegation. There are currently 26 Tory MEPs.

It is far from clear that the party will be able to match the top-of-the-poll 27.7% vote share that it won at the last elections in 2009 but the road to the Brussels parliament might be less jammed than the road to the Westminster parliament for Tory candidates. If the boundaries for the House of Commons are changed then there will be fifty fewer MPs and opportunities for people to become candidates in winnable seats will be very limited.

Conservative HQ has yet to decide on how MEP candidates will be selected and ranked. Five years ago the process was shockingly manipulated. Many incumbent MEPs were re-adopted even though they held Europhile views. Hustings were banned in order to minimise the opportunity for Eurosceptic candidates to promote themselves and be selected. Women were ranked higher on MEP lists even if they won fewer votes from members. Turnout figures for the election were suppressed.

If the party doesn't choose candidates this time that are in tune with party and mainstream national opinion on issues like Europe and prisoners' voting rights we will face an uphill struggle against UKIP.

The People's Pledge announce three Greater Manchester constituencies will hold an EU referendum

By Matthew Barrett
Follow Matthew on Twitter.

Earlier this week, I reported on the 13 groups of constituencies in the running to be the next location for the People's Pledge European referendum campaign.

The first referendum was held in the marginally Conservative Thurrock constituency (89.9% agreed with a referendum). Yesterday, the People's Pledge announced that the next referendum will be held in a trio of Lib Dem constituencies: Manchester Withington, Cheadle and Hazel Grove. The neighbouring seats, in the Greater Manchester area, are represented by John Leech MP, Mark Hunter MP and Andrew Stunnell MP respectively.

While the seats are all Lib Dem, the referendum campaign will be launched by Graham Stringer, the Labour MP for Blackley and Broughton, and David Nuttall, the Conservative MP for Bury North (right) at the campaign’s local headquarters in Cheadle on Monday. Like Thurrock, the campaign will be a full by-election style affair, with a local shop front headquarters, door-to-door canvassing, posters and leaflet, street stalls, and public meetings and events. Polls will close at 5pm on Thursday 19 July, and the vote will be independently administered by full postal ballot.

Ian McKenzie, the Director of the People’s Pledge (who appeared on the Daily Politics show yesterday), said:

“The people of Thurrock set the pace last month by voting in huge numbers for a referendum. Voters in Manchester Withington, Cheadle and Hazel Grove now have the chance to quicken that pace towards a national referendum for the rest of us. All three main parties are trying to ignore this issue; they need to start listening to their voters.”

Could you live on just £1-a-day for five days? Baroness (Anne) Jenkin accepted the challenge...

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

1.4 billion people live on £1 or less every day. "Live Below The Line" is a campaign that challenges people in the developed world to do the same.

20,000 people in Britain, America and Australia accepted the challenge this year including Tory peer Anne Jenkin, who also established Conservatives for International Development.

As part of her £1-a-day experience she cooked for special guests for a special online edition of Channel 4's Come Dine With Me. Her guests including former Scottish first minister Jack McConnell and Made in Chelsea star Francis Bouille. Watch the video below as she treats her fellow diners to such delicacies as Dahl Delight with Optimistic Onions!

As well as raising awareness of global poverty Baroness Jenkin hopes to raise £20,000 in sponsorship for Restless Development. See her page here.

Peter Bone and Philip Hollobone can be proud of their work on the BackBench Business Committee --- but it may never be as powerful/ awkward for the govt again if the new members get their way...

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

Like Graham Brady I wasn't keen on the nature of some of the electioneering but the overall result of the 1922 elections was, as I blogged this morning, encouraging. I'm more worried about the outcome of the elections for the Backbench Business Committee.

The BBBC has been hugely successful. It has meant that the House of Commons has debated issues that wouldn't have been discussed if the two frontbenches had had their way. The most famous debates of this kind were on prisoner voting and, of course, the EU referendum motion (in which 81 Tory MPs rebelled). Other debates have included the war in Afghanistan, welfare of circus animals, contaminated blood products, metal theft, charging for Big Ben tours, assisted suicide and the Hillsborough stadium tragedy.

Their voting behaviour (see list within this post) may have been too anti-Coalition for their colleagues but central to making the BBBC a success were Peter Bone and Philip Hollobone. Sadly both were unsuccessful in yesterday's election and I fear the BBBC will be a little more tame from now on. Two changes orchestrated by the Whip's Office since the "81 rebellion" made them particularly vulnerable. One change, a few months ago, meant that the BBBC's members were no longer elected by the whole house but the Tory members by Tory backbench MPs only and Labour representatives by Labour backbench MPs etc. The second change was to allow ministerial aides (Parliamentary Private Secretaries) as well as full backbenchers to vote and these received instructions from Keith Simpson, bag carrier to William Hague to vote for change. I don't know what the margins were in the secret ballot but the two rule changes certainly contributed to the fact that the new Tory representatives exclude Messrs Bone and Hollobone. The successful candidates were David Amess, Bob Blackman, Jane Ellison and Marcus Jones.

Continue reading "Peter Bone and Philip Hollobone can be proud of their work on the BackBench Business Committee --- but it may never be as powerful/ awkward for the govt again if the new members get their way..." »

Nick de Bois, Karen Bradley elected. Big win for 301 slate - but personal popularity came first

Here is the announcement.

"The following candidates have been elected to the 2 positions of Secretary of the 1922 Committee:

Karen Bradley

Nick De Bois

The following candidates have been elected to the 12 positions on the 1922 Committee Executive:

Steve Baker

Guto Bebb

George Eustice

Graham Evans

Robert Halfon

George Hollingbery

Bernard Jenkin

Simon Kirby

Penny Mordaunt

Sheryll Murray

Priti Patel

Heather Wheeler

Blue marks the 301 slate; purple the right-wing slate backed by the NTB and Cornerstone.  Black marks independents - and Priti Patel was on both tickets.

Congratulations to the winners, commiserations to the losers.

Comment follows shortly.

8.15pm Update "The following candidates have been elected to the 4 Conservative positions on the Backbench Business Committee:

David Amess

Bob Blackman

Jane Ellison

Marcus Jones".

Tomorrow's 1922 Committee Elections - nominations in full

By Paul Goodman
^{Follow Paul on Twitter}

8.45pm Update by Matthew Barrett: I have now learned which candidates are being backed by the traditional organisations on the right of the Conservative Party, such as the No Turning Back group. I have highlighted these in purple.

***

The following have been returned unopposed:-

Chairman:
GRAHAM BRADY

Vice-Chairman:
CHARLES WALKER
JOHN WHITTINGDALE

Treasurer:
BRIAN BINLEY

Posts for which elections will take place (I have marked those previously identified by Tim as members of the 301 slate in blue):

1) Secretary - the following nominations have been received for TWO posts:

KAREN BRADLEY
CHRIS CHOPE
NICK DE BOIS
CHARLIE ELPHICKE

2) Executive members - the following nominations have been received for TWELVE posts.

STEVE BAKER
JOHN BARON
GUTO BEBB
PETER BONE
JULIAN BRAZIER
ANDREW BRIDGEN
GEORGE EUSTICE
GRAHAM EVANS
ROBERT HALFON
GEORGE HOLLINGBERY
ADAM HOLLOWAY
STEWART JACKSON
BERNARD JENKIN
CHRIS KELLY
SIMON KIRBY
ELEANOR LAING
JULIAN LEWIS
KARL McCARTNEY
PENNY MORDAUNT
DAVID MORRIS
SHERYLL MURRAY
DAVID NUTTALL
PRITI PATEL - Priti Patel is being backed by both the 301 group, and the right of the Party.
ANDREW TURNER
MARTIN VICKERS
HEATHER WHEELER

Finally and separately, the following nominations have been received for Conservative members of the Backbench Business Committee - four posts:

DAVID AMESS
BOB BLACKMAN
PETER BONE
JANE ELLISON
PHILIP HOLLOBONE
MARCUS JONES

Don Porter promises to build a new Conservative political organisation as he resigns from Conservative Way Forward

By Tim Montgomerie
_{Follow Tim on Twitter}

Conservative Way Forward was launched after Margaret Thatcher was ousted as Tory leader. Its aim was to promote her beliefs and values throughout the Conservative Party. In much of the last decade it has struggled to win profile or supporters but has enjoyed something of a revival in the last two-and-a-half years under the Chairman of Don Porter CBE. I can confirm this morning that Don has resigned. He announced his decision in this press release:

"After two and a half years as Chairman of Conservative Way Forward, Don Porter resigned this evening as Chairman of CWF.  His focus over the last two and a half years was to rebuild CWF.  A number of initiatives have been launched.  The organisation now has regional co-ordinators across most of the country who are holding events at a local level.  The Forward magazine was relaunched with a new contemporary look.  The Nicholas Ridley Memorial Lecture was reinstated again two years ago and once again became a popular feature of the organisation.  Events have been held throughout the year, in addition to the usually popular programme at Party Conference.  These events included a spectacular summer reception with the President Lady Thatcher, which was massively over sold.

In his parting words, Don said that it has been an enormous privilege to be Chairman of an organisation which has the greatest post war Prime Minister as its President and such a distinguished list of Vice Presidents.

It is Don’s hope that CWF now moves into a democratic age and ensures that the next Chairman is elected by the membership and that the organisation has a greater degree of transparency.

Looking to the future, it is Don’s intention now to create a new Conservative political organisation."

ConHome will keep you up-to-date with Don's plans to create a new force in Tory politics. As this piece from Conor Burns MP reminds us, Don has displayed a long-standing and deep commitment to the voluntary Conservative Party, including a distinguished Chairmanship of the National Convention. In a recent article for The Daily Telegraph he appeared to set out his mission. He accused the current Tory leadership of losing loyal voters without winning enough new ones and he catalogued the unhappiness of many grassroots members. It is also notable that Don does not think he can build this new organisation within CWF.

> Download a PDF of Don Porter's Resignation Letter.

Noon update:

The Conservative Way Forward Executive has this morning issued the following statement following the resignation of Don Porter:

“Don has had a terrifically successful Chairmanship of CWF. The CWF Executive very much regrets his premature departure just one month before his three year term of office expires. We are heartened that he wishes to continue in a leading role among the Party’s activists and we wish him well personally and in all he does for our great cause.”

The People's Pledge announce shortlist of 39 constituencies for new European referendums

By Matthew Barrett
Follow Matthew on Twitter.

4pm update: People's Pledge sources tells me that Anne Marie Morris, the MP for Newton Abbot has come out in support of a referendum. 

Mike Freer, the MP for Finchley and Golders Green, has also backed a referendum. This is significant because Freer was not one of the 81 rebels, but has now come round to the view that Britain should have an in/out European referendum. 

These two new additions to the list of MPs supporting the People's Pledge means 68 MPs - from several parties - back a referendum. 

***

Following on from their successful referendum campaign in Thurrock - turnout was higher than in the recent local elections - The People's Pledge campaign have announced further referendums, to be held in 3 contiguous seats. The campaign has announced a shortlist of 39 seats, grouped in 13 contiguous triples, from different regions, from which one triplet will be chosen in the next few days, with a polling date set for late July.

Continue reading "The People's Pledge announce shortlist of 39 constituencies for new European referendums" »