The National Conservative Convention took place in Oxford on Saturday at a more low-key Tory Spring Forum than usual after party members’ access was restricted this year. The National Convention voted heavily in support of a motion rejecting a second referendum or any Brexit delay beyond the European Elections:

“The National Convention supports the commitments the Prime Minister has made to the country to honour the EU referendum result of 2016 that having triggered article 50, we will leave the European Union on 29th March 2019.  Another referendum or delay beyond the European elections, taking no deal off the table or not leaving at all would betray the 2016 people’s vote and damage democracy and our party for a generation.”

The vote was 72-15 in favour of the motion, following a debate among members of the Convention. However, Guido sources in the room say that the debate was interrupted when the Chairman of the Convention, Andrew Sharpe, noticed a young man filming the proceedings and asked him to stop. The man responded that he had been instructed by Party Chairman Brandon Lewis to film the debate…

Sharpe reportedly then said that the Party Chairman “had no business doing that” and instructed the man to cease or leave the room. Several Tory Convention members were left bemused by this turn of events. One disgruntled participant in the debate described it as “completely unacceptable” and accused Brandon of trying to “spy” on the room…

CCHQ sources insist that it was just an honest misunderstanding and had nothing to do with Brandon himself or with trying to keep an eye on party activists, the man had simply been asked to record the audio of the debate for internal party records. A Conservative Party source told Guido: “This was a misunderstanding, but of course the party would keep a record of the event.” It’s fair to say that not all Tories present were quite so sure about the party’s true motives…