Comment Looks bad when Tories are less than candid about a candidate
looks a little undemocratic. There hasn’t even been a public announcement that nominations have opened. This would be the invitation for people who want to be the Conservative candidate to put their names forward.
Asked how the party was making its choice, a Conservative spokesman said: “The Conservative Party is looking forward to returning to Birmingham this year for our conference. Our candidate for the West Midlands Mayoral election will be selected shortly and will be setting out their plans to make the West Midlands an even more prosperous and successful part of the country from the main conference stage.”
That’s not particularly informative. In fact, a selection process is under way and nominations for those wishing to put themselves forward closed on August 31.
But given that the party never publicly stated nominations were opening, how did people know that the process had begun?
There was a note on the official Conservative Party website, but only if you knew where to look.
Of course, parties are able to communicate with their members. They have their home and email addresses.
But was every Tory West Midlands councillor and activist aware that the party was seeking nominations? Or were only a chosen few told the contest was taking place?
Attempts to get an answer to this question from the Conservative Party have been met with silence.
Neither will the party reveal how many people have come forward and said they want to stand – or, assuming there’s more than one of them, how the candidate will actually be chosen. It’s a contrast with the Tory selection of a mayoral candidate for London, which was conducted in the full glare of publicity.
London voters – not just party members – were invited to pick a candidate from four hopefuls in an America-style primary (though only 9,000 voters took part).
There is a reason the Conservatives in the West Midlands are quiet.
Their eventual candidate is likely to be John Lewis managing director Andy Street.
And he has to balance the official announcement that he’s entering politics (which has not yet taken place) with commercial considerations. Standing for mayor means quitting his John Lewis job, so it has to be carefully co-ordinated to avoid causing unnecessary uncertainty which could potentially damage the retailer.
It’s understandable perhaps, but it doesn’t look great.