Tory candidate keeps quiet on PM’S ‘moral character’
THE CONSERVATIVE candidate in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election has been booed by constituents after dodging questions about Boris Johnson’s “moral character”.
Helen Hurford, a beauty salon owner standing to replace the disgraced Neil Parish in next week’s seemingly twohorse race against the Liberal Democrats, avoided questions about the Prime Minister at a hustings on Thursday.
“In light of the resignations of two ethics advisers in less than two years, what is your personal view on the moral character of Boris Johnson?” she was asked by an audience member, which was met with whooping and applause.
Ms Hurford described the resignations as “very Westminster-y” and that she had been told it was a “commercially sensitive issue”, resulting in the audience groaning in exasperation.
Amid heckles of “shame” and “answer the question”, she said Mr Johnson was “honest in relation to the pledges he makes”, but did not answer what she thought of his moral character.
“It’s easy to stand on the sidelines and attack and be aggressive, and what I’m hearing on the doorstep is that people are fed up with it; sick to death of it.”
When asked directly about if she had concerns about the character of Mr
Johnson – who has visited the constituency during the campaign – Ms Hurford did not answer, leading to further boos.
The Liberal Democrats are seeking to overturn a majority of 24,239 next Thursday, more than 1,000 larger than the majority they overturned in North Shropshire last year, and almost 10,000 more than the one they overturned in rural Chesham and Amersham.
This week marked the one year anniversary of the Lib Dem victory in Chesham and Amersham by Sarah Green, which saw the Conservatives ditch proposed planning reforms after losing the confidence of rural voters.
Next week the Liberal Democrats are putting forward Richard Foord, a former Army major, in the Devon by-election triggered by the resignation of Mr Parish after it emerged he had watched pornography in the House of Commons.
Polling shared by the Lib Dems earlier this week suggested that the Conservatives had a slight lead.