Tag: Robert Hayward

The Conservative party has told potential local election candidates it is preparing to fight in the European elections in May, and asked potential MEPs to put themselves forward. Conservative MEPs were warned in a meeting last week that they faced “annihilation” in European polls, igniting fury among some at the prospect of having to spend money and time on standing again to either lose their seats or spend an unclear length of time in post, with a number considering whether they want to bother at all. A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said that it remained the intention to pass the necessary legislation so the UK did not need to participate in European parliamentary elections. The Lib Dem Brexit spokesman, Tom Brake, said: “We are raring to go to the polls with a clear offer; every Liberal Democrat elected is another voice fighting for our country’s place in the European Union.” Don't dread the European elections – they could fix our broken politics | Maya Goodfellow Read more The Conservative party has been repeatedly warned it could face a looming grassroots meltdown because of Brexit, yet new data ahead of next month’s local elections suggests the party is fielding candidates in more than 96% of the 8,374 English council seats being contested on 2 May. The Conservatives could also receive a “Brexit benefit” if May agreed a departure deal before the local elections, according to Hayward, who is a Conservative peer as well as being a noted psephologist. Labour is fielding people in 77% of seats – many of the contested areas are Tory heartlands – and the Lib Dems 53%. “Considering there is this general perception that the grassroots of the Tory party are in total despair, and immobile, 96% is the highest figure in this four-year cycle that’s ever been achieved,” Hayward said. But divining the possible impact of Brexit was very tricky, he said: “The problem is that these things are so fluid at the moment. I have no doubt in my own mind that there is a Brexit benefit to the government if there is a deal. The corollary of that is that there is clearly a dis-benefit to the Tory party to not having a deal.