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Downing Street has been accused of preventing “true blue” Tory candidates from standing in the general election as they fight for the future of the Tory party.
The right of the party believes Rishi Sunak is trying to purge it of those who support small-state, low-tax conservatism so that it will be dominated by centrists after the election.
This will mean that if the Conservatives lose the election and Mr Sunak resigns, he already ensures that it cannot move to the right by filling the parliamentary One Nation party with Tories who will reject right-wing leadership candidates.
Some Tory MPs have expressed frustration that highly qualified applicants for inclusion on the parliamentary backlist are being rejected because of their traditional Conservative values, while those who believe in high taxes and high public spending are being passed through. even if they do not have the necessary skills required to work as a deputy.
It is the latest evidence of the civil war raging within the Conservative Party between those who believe it must move to the right to combat the growing threat of UK reform and those who believe the only way to stay elected is to take a central position.< /p >
Candidates who spoke to The Telegraph describe those in charge of the selection process as “yellow Tories” who favor candidates virtually indistinguishable from the Lib Dems.
They describe a clear bias against Brexiteers are among those who interview candidates and complain that instead of being grilled about their Conservative values, they are asked a lot of questions about promoting diversity.
If the Tories lose the election and Sunak steps down as party leader, he will be able to determine what his successor will inherit by controlling the list of potential parliamentary candidates. Photo: UK Parliament/Maria Unger
Aman Bhogal, a former diplomat who contested the seat of Upper Bann in Northern Ireland in 2015 but has since not been elected, said Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) was involved in a “conspiracy” to prevent the right from getting short constituency lists.
He said: “You used to be asked to talk about your Conservative values and Conservative ideals, but things have changed. Now it's “tell us about how you promote diversity and how you address white privilege.”
CCHQ is responsible for the list of approved candidates, with a handful of people having enormous control over who is accepted and who reject.
Among those who would like to become a Conservative MP is Lord Frost, the former Brexit negotiator who has made it clear he will give up his peerage to sit in the House of Commons.
Although he has done nothing public comments, The Telegraph understands CCHQ blocked him from bidding for seats in the House of Commons. Public opinion.
Lord Frost is critical of the party's political direction under the Prime Minister, and one Sunak supporter suggested he was being passed over because “he is a member of the House of Lords who is also trying to unseat the party leader.”
David Campbell Bannerman , a former Conservative MEP who has been on the shortlist since 2019, says he is being prevented from being promoted to the longlist for any particular seat “because I haven't been good enough to Rishi” Sunak.
David Campbell BannermanHe said: “Everything is decided. This is quite egregious and undemocratic. Members have realized this and are resisting it because they are not getting the choice of candidates they want.
“It's not about me, it's about the system as a whole. This happens to a number of good candidates who are left confused, disillusioned and driven out of the party. It's all about power and control, and the lack of democracy is letting people down.”
Another overlooked candidate said: “Essentially the real blue Tory candidates are just campaign fodder, people who will shove leaflets through doors – CCHQ has no serious intention of letting them into a winning seat, if at all them to take a winning place. They only want One Nation Conservative candidates and it's no wonder we're getting few new MPs.
“When I applied for the seat, the chairman of the local association called me and said they wanted I was their candidate, but of course I was blocked by CCHQ.
“If you're like me, you're a Brexiteer, hard on immigration and want low taxes, CCHQ thinks you're a disgusting headbanger. Too many in the party may also be Liberal Democrats.”
Problems with the selection process have been the cause of MP defections in recent years, including former Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston and former South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen, who both jumped ship to Change UK and then the Lib Dems, as well as former Wokingham MP Phillipa Lee. who switched sides to the Liberal Democrats.
To date, 63 Conservative MPs have announced that they are refusing to participate in the elections. The record number of Conservatives leaving Parliament in one term is 75, set in the run-up to the 1997 elections.
A YouGov poll earlier this month suggested the Tories could suffer their biggest ever election defeat, with Mr Sunak likely to retain just 155 seats, ten fewer than Sir John Major was left with after Labour's victory in 1997.
A CCHQ source said: “There is no basis in these allegations. Obviously, candidates who criticize the party leader will have a little difficulty getting elected, since they will be asking voters to vote for him to become prime minister.
“But the idea that people are not running for any ideological reasons is completely false. This is a prime minister who cuts taxes, imposes severe restrictions on immigration, limits excessive net zero elements and tries to get illegal immigrants sent to Rwanda. It’s unlikely that this is some kind of left-wing program.”
“CCHQ is obsessed with diversity”
Gordon Rayner, Deputy Editor
When Gary Pound crept into the basement of Conservative campaign headquarters for his candidate's selection interview, he prepared for questions about law enforcement, immigration and taxation.
He needn't have worried. During the hour-long interrogation in a glass-sided cell, the focus was on diversity, not politics.
Mr. Pound was once considered such a distinguished candidate that he was on the priority list, making him eligible to apply for any vacant constituency. However, this time he didn't make the list at all.
“They were just obsessed with diversity,” said Mr Pound, a successful businessman who has been a committed and active member of the Conservative Party since his university days. “They wanted to know what I had done to promote diversity within the party and in politics in general.
“Most Conservatives are meritocrats, so they just want the best people, no matter their gender or ethnicity, but that's clear . they no longer choose people based on merit.
“It also seemed clear that if you, like me, voted for Brexit, your card was marked.
“It appears that the party has been purged of true believers in Conservative values, and people are coming into power who should to be Liberal Democrats who have infiltrated the party.”
MPs and party insiders have expressed deep concerns about the candidate selection process, which has long-term implications for the Tory party and the direction in which it is heading.
The growing row over who will stand in the next election is seen by some as a symptom of how dysfunctional the Conservative Party has become, as different factions fight for control of its uncertain future.
Even if he loses the election and leaves As party leader, Rishi Sunak will be able to determine which party his successor will inherit by controlling the list of potential parliamentary candidates.
The voter associations have the final say on who their candidate will be. parliamentary candidate, usually chosen from a shortlist of three or four, but CCHQ can block right-wing candidates so that only One Nation Conservatives, as the centrists call themselves, are nominated.
CCHQ's gatekeepers include Gareth Fox, chief of staff to the chairman of the candidates committee, a Remainer tasked by David Cameron with making the party more diverse, and Baroness Jenkin of Kennington, who co-founded Women2Win with Theresa May for almost 20 years. back to increase the number of female Conservative MPs.
Baroness Jenkin of Kennington is one of CCHQ's gatekeepers. Credit: Julian Simmonds for The Telegraph
Other influential figures include Matt Wright, chairman of the candidate committee; Matt Lane, director of candidates and long-time aide to No 10 Dougie Smith, who helps vet candidates and acts as a liaison between Downing Street and the candidates committee.
Prospective MPs must submit a written application. an application followed by a background check and then an interview before a Parliamentary Evaluation Committee, usually consisting of two people, one of whom may be a sitting MP.
Those who pass are placed on an approved list of candidates, which is divided into candidates from the full list, who can apply for any position that becomes available; a key list, which can usually only qualify for the seat where they live, and a development list, which means they will be considered for unwinnable seats where they can gain campaigning experience.
So far, 63 Conservative MPs have already announced they will stand down at the election, meaning candidates are now being selected to stand in their constituencies.
People applying for a particular position are reviewed by a committee of candidates, which produces a long list and then works with the local association to whittle that list down to a short list of three or four people in a process known as selection.
Aman Bhogal, a 39-year-old former diplomat and founder of the Global Britain Center, which advocates for free trade and free enterprise after Brexit, also feels he is being neglected because of his pro-Brexit credentials.
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He said: “I joined the party while I was still at school, and one day it turned out that I had spent about 14,000 hours on the campaign trail, knocking on doors, handing out leaflets and so on.”
“In the past , when I was asked about my conservative ideals, but now it's all about diversity.
“You are asked how you will promote interracial harmony, and the answer they give. I want you to kneel for Black Lives Matter.
“It’s rotten and trashy. Like many others, I am thinking about switching to reform.”
Mr Bhogal said that after failing to be shortlisted from 15 different constituencies, he had met Mr Fox and Mr Lane to ask them, what he is doing wrong.
He said: “I was told that my application was perfect and what they call my political influence was accurate, but I did not get people to call and support me.
“They asked: “ Who do you know in the cabinet?” and told me that the cabinet ministers should call the chairmen of the associations and nominate me. I left very sad.”
Mr Bhogal believes he was blocked because he campaigned for Brexit and supported Liz Truss in the Tory leadership.
He said: “Keep in mind that two-thirds of the party voted for Liz Truss to become leader, so if they alienate all those people it doesn't create a unified party at all.”
Allison Pearson
Even Thatcher wouldn't make the Tory ticket today. More details
The candidate selection process may be shortened by CCHQ in the event of by-elections where a candidate needs to be selected quickly. In such circumstances, CCHQ may impose a shortlist on the association that may only contain one truly viable candidate, meaning the system can be gamed.
One person on the approved list of candidates said that some MPs who had already decided resign are told to wait until elections are called before announcing their resignations so that CCHQ can use by-election rules to force their own candidates onto local associations.
Some of these may include current MPs being tempted to “run” for a safer seat than their own, or MPs whose seats are being abolished under boundary changes that will come into force at the election.
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A Conservative member who holds a local government position said: “There is a gap between what party members want and what the party hierarchy wants.”
“When I applied, What was strange was the number of former Liberal Democrats, and it was quite clear that this was the kind of person they were looking for.”
Wendy Whittaker-Large, a property investor from Cheshire who was rejected after saying she was a Tory party in a small state, agrees. She said: “The people who succeeded were those who believed in high taxes and high government spending – mostly liberal Democrats.”
The scientist, who was dropped from the list after 10 years, said Mr Fox told them they were “not politicized enough” after saying they disagreed with the government's response to Covid.
Lawyer, who was rejected by CCHQ, said: “The left wing of the party is in power and they won’t let anyone in anymore. But the mistake is that the country and the party need both wings of the party.”
*Some names have been changed to protect the anonymity of those who spoke to the Telegraph.
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