Former candidate takes Conservative Party to court over MEP seat
FORMER OLYMPIC rower Alex Story is taking the Conservative Party to court over the way it handled choosing a replacement Yorkshire MEP.
Mr Story has issued a High Court writ over the party’s decision to back John Procter to fill the vacancy created last year when Timothy Kirkhope quit the European Parliament to take up his seat in the House of Lords.
Under the regional list system used to choose MEPs, the Conservatives only secured enough votes at the 2014 European elections for a single seat.
Mr Story was second on the list and believed when Lord Kirkhope resigned he would be handed the seat.
He received a letter from the returning officer for the European elections in Yorkshire inviting him to fill the vacancy but the Conservatives did not endorse his candidacy, instead backing Mr Procter, who was third on the Conservative list in 2014.
Mr Story took legal action at the time to try to prevent the seat being offered to Mr Procter but failed.
He is now suing Tory chairman Patrick McLoughlin, claiming the party was “obliged” to certify him as the one to step into Lord Kirkhope’s shoes.
Preferring Mr Procter over his head was “irregular, unfair and irrational and so unlawful”, his lawyers claim in a writ issued at London’s High Court.
In the writ, his lawyers accuse the party of showing “gross disrespect” for party members.
The party, however, insists it did not unfairly “favour” Mr Procter and points out that Mr Story’s name does not appear on the approved candidates’ list.
Mr Story has limited his financial claim to £100 “nominal damages”.