Tories in turmoil as membership outraged over Corbyn talks

Christopher Hope, Asa Bennett

Anna Mikhailova GRASSROOTS Conservative activists are “quitting in their droves”, it has been claimed, as polling shows more than 90 per cent of them disagree with Theresa May’s decision to sit down for talks with Jeremy Corbyn.

Don Porter, a former head of the Tory Party’s grassroots body National Conservative Convention, said Mrs May’s discussions with the Labour leader were doing “lasting damage”.

He said volunteers, members and candidates were leaving over real fears that the way has been cleared for Mr Corbyn to become prime minister.

The news came as Tory MPS spoke out against the strategy. Tory MP Johnny Mercer told this week’s Spectator magazine: “We’ll get top-sliced and bottom-sliced by those who don’t want any Brexit – and those who want a Ukip version of Brexit.

“We’ll just get left behind and Jeremy Corbyn will be prime minister.”

One minister told The Daily Telegraph: “I had four local election candidates and activists emailing me saying, ‘I am going to walk away from our party.’”

Another minister said they had messages from constituents stating: “I will never vote Conservative again.”

Writing for The Telegraph’s website, Mr Porter said the talks had “put Brexit at risk – but it could be fatal for the Conservative Party”.

A survey by the group found 92 per cent against a delay to Brexit and 86 per cent for leaving without a trade deal, on World Trade Organisation terms.

Moreover, 94 per cent opposed Mrs May’s decision to hold talks with Mr Corbyn and 98 per cent were against negotiating a customs union settlement with the EU.

Mr Porter said: “The gaping chasm between the membership and the leadership has been plain for all to see for some time. But instead of listening, the leadership has put us on a collision course with disaster.

“Entering into talks with Jeremy Corbyn … undermines everything the party stands for. And the grass roots are up in arms.

“The damage this is doing to the party has now reached a tipping point as disenchantment turns into fury and outrage. We are seeing hardworking volunteers, members and even candidates quitting the party in droves.

He added: “How can we go out onto the doorstep and explain the very real threat of a Jeremy Corbyn government when our leader is sitting down in No10 with him? For those activists that remain we have taken away their most effective tool. With local elections

‘Instead of listening, the leadership has put us on a collision course with disaster’

around the corner, and the possibility of EU elections, the Conservatives now face obliteration at the polling booth.”

Rumours of an imminent general election were last night fuelled by reports on the influential Conservativehome website that Tory candidate selection was being accelerated.

The website said candidates were being invited to meetings with the Parliamentary Assessment Board more quickly than was normal.

But Brandon Lewis, the party chairman, said the speculation was misplaced and that there were “lots of applicants”. The party, he said, was “keen to work through them as we continue selections”.

Separately, concerns were being raised about the “infiltration” of Dominic Grieve’s local Conservative association by 200 new members in the months leading up to his attempted ousting, according to leaked party emails.

A Ukip supporter was among a flurry of “suspicious” newcomers who tried to join the association in the year before the former attorney general lost a confidence vote, leaving him facing deselection, The Guardian reported.