Shapps dumped as Tory chairman
TORY Party chairman Grant Shapps was unceremoniously sacked from the Cabinet last night.
After hours of wrangling with Downing Street, Mr Shapps accepted a demotion to become a middle-ranking minister at the Department for International Development.
Tory peer Lord Feldman, a university friend of David Cameron who had been co- chairman of the party with Mr Shapps, will assume full responsibility for the post.
It is understood that Mr Shapps, who had masterminded the ‘Team 2015’ election strategy of bussing activists into carefully-targeted seats, considered rejecting the DFID job and returning to the backbenches. But late last night, after hours of confusion over his future, he told No. 10 he would accept the demotion.
One ally of the MP said his treatment was a ‘f****** disgrace’. However, a senior Conservative insisted credit for last week’s stunning General Election win lay with Lynton Crosby, the party’s chief election strategist, fundraising chief Lord Feldman and director of campaigning Stephen Gilbert.
Mr Shapps faced embarrassment during the campaign when he was accused of using an anonymous user-ID to delete embarrassing facts about his past and add unflattering details about his political rivals to the website Wikipedia. He furiously denied he was behind the changes, insisting he was the victim of ‘an extreme dirty tricks campaign’.
It later emerged that the Wikipedia official who accused Mr Shapps of doctoring his own online biography was a former Liberal Democrat member.
However, Downing Street is understood to have tired over controversies involving the MP for Welwyn Hatfield.
Despite being viewed as a highly effective media performer, the politician has also struggled to live down revelations that he adopted an alter ego, Michael Green, to promote ‘get rich quick’ products before he became an MP. Stories in Left-wing papers during the election campaign threatened to undermine his otherwise strong performance.
The 46-year-old father of three had told friends he hoped to be rewarded for his role in the first outright election victory for the Conservatives with a government department – perhaps transport or local government.
But the Prime Minister is understood to have urged Mr Shapps to accept that it was necessary for him to step back from an intensely political role where he would continue to be the target of Labour attacks. Allies of the former party chairman said he intended to ’rebuild’ in the DFID role before seeking a Cabinet comeback.