No single ‘anti-sleaze’ candidate will be fielded
NO SINGLE “anti-sleaze” candidate will be fielded to challenge the Tories to replace Owen Paterson after Labour and the Lib Dems confirmed they would fight the by-election.
Casual communications between the opposition parties to field a unity candidate in North Shropshire had taken place, but the move was not considered viable and both parties said yesterday they would fight for the seat.
It has been vacated by the former Cabinet minister’s resignation following a 24-hour debacle during which Boris Johnson humiliatingly U-turned after attempting to overhaul the disciplinary process to save him from suspension.
Mr Paterson, a long-standing friend of the Prime Minister, had been found to have breached Commons rules by lobbying officials and ministers for two companies paying him more than £100,000 a year.
The rural constituency is considered ultra-safe for the Tories, with Mr Paterson having held it since 1997, but allegations of sleaze aimed at the Conservatives under the current leadership will likely feature strongly in the contest.
A date is yet to be set for the byelection in North Shropshire, where Mr Paterson won 63% of the vote in 2019, beating Labour by nearly 23,000 votes, with the Lib Dems coming third.
But the Lib Dems were talking up their chances following their shock victory in the former Tory safehold of Chesham and Amersham in June.
Officials expect concerns over controversial planning reforms could again feature on the doorstep, as well as the Conservatives’ handling of sewage polluting rivers.
A Lib Dem source added: “The Liberal Democrats are the antisleaze party in this election and the best placed to win votes from the Conservatives.
“We came second to the Tories in last May’s local elections in North Shropshire, showing that we are the main opposition to Boris Johnson’s sleazy and corrupt Government here.”
Discussions surrounding a unity candidate were understood to have fallen flat with it being decided that the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act introduced in 2000 makes it challenging for parties to share data, funding and staff.
Meanwhile, Downing Street declined to rule out the possibility that Mr Paterson could be handed a peerage in the wake of his resignation on Thursday.
A No 10 spokesman said: “I’ve seen the speculation on that, there’s obviously a formal process for peerages.”
A Government source insisted that no discussions about sending Mr Paterson to the Lords have taken place.
Allies of Mr Paterson had sought to save him from a six-week suspension, which could have potentially triggered a by-election, by tabling an amendment to overhaul the disciplinary process that found he breached the rules for MPs.