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https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/leaked-email-blames-tory-mps-general-election-2024-gz508ncd9#

An incredible article from start to finish

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Leaked email blames Tory MPs for poor start to election campaign

Conservative ministers and MPs have failed to “get behind” campaigning and have refused to knock on doors, a leaked memo from Tory headquarters sent days into the general election campaign has revealed.

Conservative staff accused MPs of focusing too much on ministerial business in a document accidentally emailed to party MPs by a senior campaigning figure at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ). The message had two attachments. One was a constituency breakdown with what appeared to be sanitised comments. The other had the unvarnished thoughts of Conservative staff. The email was later recalled. The “key theme” identified in the document was that candidates had failed to “get behind” the campaign, with some on holiday or refusing to knock on doors. In one case the memo disclosed personal health information about a candidate’s spouse.

The memo singled out constituencies believed to be part of the 80/20 strategy used by CCHQ which piles resources into the 80 most marginal seats and the top 20 the party believes it could gain.
In several cases dwindling funding was flagged as an issue. In Bury North in Greater Manchester, the seat held by James Daly, deputy chairman of the party, it was said there were “low funds, circa £2k, met with donors but so far no donations”. In Thurrock, Essex, where Dame Jackie Doyle-Price is the MP, it was noted that money raised so far has been spent and “few donors [are] available”.

In Plymouth Moor View, the seat of Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, staff said there was a issue with “MP co-operation with CCHQ” and “funding issues — currently £2k in bank” and support had been offered. The Times reported last week that Mercer had written a memo over his frustration with Rishi Sunak’s domination of campaigning. The West Country seats such of Frome and East Somerset and Glastonbury and Somerton were said to “urgently need” a chunk of funding. Rebecca Pow, the nature minister, was accused by campaigning staff of spending too much time on ministerial business. Under the heading for her Taunton and Wellington seat, the memo read: “MP still focusing too much on ‘ministerial business’ and noncommittal on time she will spend in the seat now and during the campaign.” Sarah Atherton, the MP for Wrexham, was accused of “refusing to engage” in the note, which said: “Wants to cancel this week’s campaigning sessions and stop CM [campaign manager] from running pre-scheduled campaigning sessions over weekend.” The Conservative Party said: “As you would expect a huge number of reports and emails are compiled and sent daily. The email was sent in error and immediately recalled. Those who received it have been contacted with an apology.” It is understood that some of the information related to concerns before the announcement of the general election.

In one case in Cramlington and Killingworth, the new Northumberland/Tyne & Wear seat where Ian Levy, the Tory MP, is the candidate, the document said he had “used his 80/20 week to attend a wedding”. He said: “It’s right that the party are keeping track of what candidates are up to. We want to win to stop a Labour government getting in. I did attend a wedding of a close family friend last week but I was also out pounding the streets, delivering leaflets and talking to voters.”
Staff appeared to blame Paul Howell, the outgoing MP, for performance in the new seat of Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, Co Durham, writing: “It is where it is for a reason. MP/candidate will not knock on a door.”
In Cheadle, Greater Manchester, where Mary Robinson is the MP, it was said: “Candidate/MP away for 7 days on holiday.” “Lack of co-operation” was also noted for Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland minister, in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. He said: “I have agreed with successive party chairmen that I would be exempt from the 80/20 programme for good reasons which I do not wish to divulge.”

 

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It seems the Northern Ireland Secretary isn’t fully on board with the National Service policy. So not only has he been specifically named in the leaked emails, he's also put out this blog piece today

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[…]


That is, when people are doing no harm, government should leave them to work through their own virtues and vices in voluntary association with other people. Government ought to provide a quality, affordable safety net, but MPs and ministers are no more perfect than everyone else and should have the humility to act accordingly

[…]

Steve baker.info

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42 minutes ago, bickster said:

Got to love the party unity on display…

 

Calling the early election might well be the best service Sunak has ever provided for this country. 

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They're now calling Lib Dem candidates in a bid to fill vacancies: because of course, how could they have known that there was going to be an election ASAP?

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20 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said:

Lucy Allan suspended for endorsing a reform candidate to succeed her seat.

Parliament is suspended and they're still losing seats, Incredible

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2 hours ago, Mark Albrighton said:

It appears that Steve Baker is on the campaign trail, knocking on doors in Greece.

 

Is he another Villa fan that booked his flight to Athens before we got knocked out? 

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Eddie Hughes was posting on local social media how hard he’s working knocking doors and someone rightly reminded him that most people work hard every day we don’t really need him to tell us how hard he’s working by walking and talking.

His reply was that he gets a lot of feedback that nobody knows what he’s up to… 🤔 

 

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Posted (edited)

Posted 40 minutes ago. Already late with their follow-up. 

Bet it’ll be nonsense, whatever it is. 
 

edit: it was nonsense. Something something pensions something. 

Edited by choffer
Update
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Posted (edited)
18 minutes ago, choffer said:

edit: it was nonsense. Something something pensions something. 

"Triple lock plus", fudging the income tax threshold specifically for pensioners so that they're 2k a year better off. Another attempt to take from the young to give to the old. I think they're determined to have no voters under 40.

At £2.5 billion a year, it costs 20% more than the "unaffordable" pay demands of junior doctors.

 

Edited by Davkaus
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