Labour’s in free-fall over the Alli donations scandal, Number 10 is a circus (already forced to bin Sue Gray as Chief of Staff), and their new policies are sinking like a lead balloon. One would think CCHQ’s job attacking the government was easy. Yet somehow, they still manage to miss the mark…
Over the weekend, CCHQ decided to take a shot at the Winter Fuel Allowance cut, a policy that seems universally unpopular. They rolled out a video showcasing pensioners set to lose their allowance. Except instead of tugging at the nation’s heartstrings, the footage shows these ‘poor’ pensioners living in spacious homes – more comfortable than what many people, especially the young, can afford. They hardly appear to be hard-done-by little old folks shivering in the cold. One even appears to be wearing a solid gold Rolex…
This winter, pensioners will have to choose between heating and eating.
And that’s on Keir Starmer. pic.twitter.com/JMrqLyXtD8
— Conservatives (@Conservatives) October 4, 2024
Clearly Guido isn’t the only one who thought this was a little tone-deaf. In three days, the post got 20 million views, and only one thousand likes. Possibly the worst ratio in X history…
Following the Tory wipeout and a staff exodus from “broke” CCHQ, the party machine will be looking to fill up spaces as more are expected to leave. Though Guido hears that they’ve been urged to hold off on advertising any vacancies before the new Tory leader has (finally) been chosen. Some in the leadership race fear the current guard might be trying to entrench itself ahead of party reform and a thorough house-cleaning by the incoming boss…
Guido hears at least one campaign has written a warning letter to CCHQ, urging them to pause any advertising of vacancies or making any appointments until the leadership contest is done and dusted, allowing the victor to shape the team and call the shots. With CCHQ departments decimated as donations dry up, heavy will be the head that wears that crown…
The Tory Party Chairman Richard Fuller has fired off a grovelling email to party members, promising to “listen” to their “frustrations” after the party’s wipeout at the polls. More of ‘we must recognise where we went wrong’…
The email dutifully lays out a plan for “member-focused feedback sessions” in the run-up to party conference. These sessions are a chance for members to air their grievances – and there’ll be plenty – so the party can begin the long slog to rebuild “trust with the public.” Sessions will include riveting discussions on how the party can make members feel “heard” and how to learn from their opponents. Members are reassured that if they can’t make the calls, they can accost the Chairman at conference instead…
Read the full email below:
While Tory leadership hopefuls give exalted speeches the central party machine is running on fumes. Guido hears Matt Lane and Gareth Fox, both top-level staff in the Candidates Department, took voluntary redundancy and are out of the door. The same goes for the vast remainder of the team…
The department is naturally responsible for sourcing Tory candidates for election and its representatives get sent to association selection meetings to oversee events. A hiring round is in order shortly but HQ sources say the coffers are rather empty…
Co-conspirators report a large number of CCHQ staff are still off on holiday. Meanwhile, the party’s break clause on its pricey 4 Matthew Parker Street headquarters is fast approaching. Tory bean-counters might be minded to trigger it…
The National Conservative Convention, the power hub of the Tory grassroots, has kicked off the first contested election in years, with voting opening today. Though whispers of a potential CCHQ stitch-up are swirling around Westminster…
Local Chairmen across the country have said they feel that Julian Ellacott, the current Vice President, has been pressuring them to vote for him as Chairman. Meanwhile, CCHQ’s refusal to allow hustings, despite requests, has only fuelled anger…
Chairman of the Tory Daventry Constituency Association, Daniel Lister, tells Guido:
“Once again, members are left feeling that a preferred candidate is being imposed, with no hustings and one candidate enjoying exclusive access to members’ data. We must begin decentralising power within the party immediately. Central control has failed us yet again, and until the party machinery is overhauled, we are doomed to repeat these failures.”
Troubled times in the Tory voluntary party…
While the Tories present no opposition to Starmer’s government and dig in for the long leadership campaign, there are rumbling in other parts of CCHQ. The election for Chairman of the Tory National Convention is running concurrently – the little-publicised role heads up the volunteer wing of the party and sits on the central board. Chairmen are elected for three year terms and subject to reselection every year…
Centrally favoured choice Julian Ellacott has pitched himself as the pick of the ‘party machine’ and was expected to slot into the role without opposition. What is usually a CCHQ coronation is now being challenged for the first time in years by Hackney PPC Joanna Reeves, presenting herself as a disruptor. Expect more challenges in the months to come as the disparate party battles over its direction…
