Avoiding Theresa May’s mistakes…

Brandon Lewis insists there’s “still time” to get a Brexit deal through Parliament in order to avoid holding EU elections. Even if Theresa May invented a time machine there’s no way she’s getting a deal through in the next three weeks…

Following the suspension of 14 Tory members yesterday over Islamophobic and racist remarks, Tory Chairman Brandon Lewis has written to the party’s most senior activists to “re-affirm my commitment that discrimination, intimidating behaviour or abuse of any kind has absolutely no place in our organisation”. The letter has gone to everyone at the most senior level of the voluntary party – Regional Chairmen, Area Chairmen, Association Chairman and Conservative Group Leaders. Swift action from the Tories…

Guido has obtained a copy of the email sent directly to the 14 Tory members who have been suspended today by Conservative Party Chairman Brandon Lewis’s office to for posting Islamophobic or racist comments online.

The suspended members are informed in no uncertain terms that they “may not participate in any Party events” and are “not entitled to represent the Conservative Party in any way” or “attend or participate in any events carried out in the name of the Party”. Summary justice undoubtedly, the Tories nevertheless showing Labour how to deal swiftly and unequivocally with racism…

Sam Gyimah has played down the local no confidence bid revealed by Guido on Friday night, telling the Today Programme:

“There’s no deselection procedure, there was some news at the weekend… there’s a letter of no confidence that was handed to my association chairman, it’s signed by four people… I think one of them is a lapsed member of the Association…“

Local sources are disputing this, they insist that the letter had five signatories, none of whom were lapsed members. All were members of the Executive, including two local Councillors (one district and one county) and a former Association Treasurer. These are well-established members of the local Party, not fringe members or new members…

The number of signatories to the letter is not of any significance in itself – only two were required to put the motion on the agenda for the AGM. The only number that counts is the number of votes for the no confidence motion later this month…

ConHome’s Mark Wallace reported how frosty the mood was towards Gyimah at the Executive meeting on Friday night, with Gyimah reportedly looking “visibly concerned”. Gyimah himself took a conciliatory tone in response to Guido’s initial report. Interestingly, Brandon Lewis has promised that CCHQ will step in to block the deselection of any Tory MP, provided they back the PM’s deal. Gyimah unequivocally told Today just now that he wouldn’t be supporting it…

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…