Frustrated Tory activists have been left bemused to discover that the Conservative Party has deemed them not welcome at the party’s Spring Forum this year. Emails have been going out to members informing them that only the party’s National Convention has been invited to attend the annual gathering in February. The Spring Forum has always been a popular get-together in committed activists’ calendars, they are very disappointed to be left out…

The National Convention is a select group of party activists limited to Association Chairmen and area and regional officers, rank-and-file activists have been told that they must get express permission from their Association Chairman if they wish to attend. Looks suspiciously like CCHQ trying to cover off the threat a large-scale grassroots insurrection of party members just one month before the UK is due to leave the EU…

UPDATE: CCHQ insist that party members aren’t being barred from Spring Forum, they are just being asked to agree attendance with their local Chairmen to help “manage capacity”…