Tory donors and grassroots support Boris over burkas
THERESA MAY is facing a backlash from grassroots Conservative members and donors over the party’s “malevolent” and “discourteous” decision to investigate Boris Johnson over his burka comments.
One local association president said the Prime Minister was “at best an embarrassment, and at worst a humiliation for our great party and country”, while major donors said it was an “argument over relatively nothing”.
Stanley Johnson, the former foreign secretary’s father, has also weighed in, going further than his son, saying he should have called for the burka to be banned in schools and hospitals.
He writes in today’s Sunday Telegraph that the “disastrous blue-on-blue warfare” was an “own goal”.
No10 was forced to deny reports of a rift with Brandon Lewis, the party chairman, after he said on Tuesday that Mr Johnson should apologise for saying women wearing burkas looked like “bank robbers” and “letter boxes”.
Mrs May was given no notice of Mr Lewis’s criticism, forcing her to back him during a clip for television on a visit to Scotland a few hours later.
The party insists it has “a duty” to investigate Mr Johnson’s remarks after receiving complaints about them, though the investigation has not yet reached the stage when a formal panel would be appointed.
There was a further element of farce when it emerged yesterday that the party was also looking into Mr Lewis after a complaint was submitted on Friday over his participation in breaking a whips’ pairing agreement in the Commons last month. Relations between Mr Johnson – who returned to London from a holiday in Italy yesterday – and
Mr Lewis are now said to be in the deep freeze, with Mr Johnson reportedly not returning the chairman’s phone calls.
The row led to claims that several Tory MPs have decided to send letters of no-confidence in the Government to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, when they return to Westminster next month. Sir Graham must order a no-confidence vote once he has received letters from 48 MPs.
Donors and supporters criticised the party’s handling of the affair.
David Wall, the secretary of the Midlands Industrial Council, whose members donate millions of pounds to the Tories every year, said it was “an argument over relatively nothing”.
Mr Wall said: “I don’t think he [Mr Johnson] expressed himself in an offensive way at all. I have talked to several colleagues and they have the same view as I do. What on earth is all the fuss about?” Peers who were close to David Cameron took opposing sides. Lord Marland, a former party treasurer who has been in text contact with Mr Johnson, said: “The party does not need more internal wars.”
But Lord Cooper of Windrush said: “The rottenness of Boris Johnson goes deeper even than his casual racism and his equally casual courting of fascism.”
In a letter to The Sunday Telegraph, Jacques Arnold, president of Tonbridge & Malling Conservative Association, says: “Theresa May has indeed created a nasty party. She is at best an embarrassment, and at worst a humiliation for our great party and country. Enough is enough. She must go.”
Local Conservative Party chairmen in Cabinet ministers’ seats also offered their support to Mr Johnson.
David Collins, of South West Hertfordshire, the constituency of David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, said: “I can’t see what all of the fuss is about.”
Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist for Donald Trump, warned last night that Mr Johnson should not “bow at the altar of political correctness”.
He told The Sunday Times that the former foreign secretary had “nothing to apologise for”. His comments came as the newspaper reported that four Cabinet ministers were defying Mrs May by backing Mr Johnson. Backbencher Andrew Bridgen said that suspending Mr Johnson would lead to “open warfare” in the Tory Party.