London Tories in secret talks on split

Conservatives in capital fearful of wipeout in next month’s local elections could set up splinter group

THE Conservatives in London have reportedly held secret discussions about a potential breakaway from the national party, amid fears of an electoral wipeout in the local elections next month.

Senior Tories have hosted a series of meetings over the past year to draw up plans for a separate party that would have its own brand, policies and figurehead separate to Theresa May. Mrs May is braced for the party’s worst performance in the capital in its 184-year history, when the ballots are cast next month.

According to analysis conducted by Lord Hayward and Tony Travers, a respected academic, the Conservatives are expected to lose almost 100 seats in the capital, falling from 612 to 519, while all nine councils under its control are thought to be at risk.

Meanwhile, The Spectator claims that those involved in the talks have been spurred on by the success of Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, whose distinct brand and policies have been credited for the party’s remarkable turnaround in Scotland.

It comes after a series of U-turns and unpopular manifesto promises were blamed for Mrs May’s disastrous performance in last year’s general election.

In London, one Tory MP who has been campaigning in recent weeks claimed that Nickie Aiken, the Westminster council leader, is expecting to lose come May 3, as is Ravi Govindia, the leader of Wandsworth council.

Others, including councillors from Kensington and Chelsea, are said to have experienced a “big shock” on the doorstep in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze, while the Conservative campaign headquarters is said to be “panicking” about the borough falling to Labour. Those pushing for a split have reportedly called for a regional leader to differentiate the group from the “very provincial” image provided by Mrs May. The breakaway would also likely result in the group adopting a differing stance on Brexit to the national party, with the majority of Tory MPS in the capital residing in constituencies that voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union.

More than 4,300 council seats come up for grabs in the local elections next month, including all councillors in London’s 32 boroughs, 34 metropolitan boroughs, 68 district and borough councils and 17 unitary authorities.

There will also be direct elections for the mayors in Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Watford. Lord Hayward, a leading expert on council elections, said: “I expect the Tories to lose seats and the Lib Dems to gain seats but I don’t expect them to lose to such an extent that it would endanger Theresa May’s prime ministership.

“People outside London are much more nationalistic, more loyal to the country and that is because of the make-up of the population.”

A source at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) confirmed that individual members held discussions on the subject last year, but said they were not active proposals being considered by the party.

A spokesman said London Conservatives “have a distinct voice” within the party and that it had recently appointed a new vice-chairman for London.