Judge blocks MS’s bid to stop party meeting that could lead to deselection
MONMOUTH Tory MS Nick Ramsay has failed to halt a meeting of his local party going ahead that could lead to his deselection.
A judge at Bristol High Court turned down his application for an injunction against Monmouth Conservative Association, stopping it holding a special meeting of members on Monday.
Solicitors acting for Mr Ramsay, who has represented Monmouth since 2007, had written to his constituency association demanding to know what “purported constitutional basis and lawful mechanism” would be used to de-select him.
Accusing the association of “breach of contract” and of “natural justice”, Mr Ramsay’s lawyers, Sanders Witherspoon, said they would be instructed to apply for an injunction if the process was not justified in law.
They also claimed association members were “jointly and severally liable as individuals for any damage caused to our client in addition to paying his legal costs”.
They also claimed “defamatory comments” had been made about Mr Ramsay by a member at an association executive meeting in October.
Mr Ramsay, a former Welsh Conservative leadership candidate, chairs the Public Accounts Committee at the Senedd.
He told BBC Wales: “I’ve had enough of the unfairness and malicious gossip.
“I’m getting on with the job of representing my constituents and helping them through the challenges presented by the pandemic.
“I’m afraid the situation is now with my lawyers and it would be wrong for me to comment further.”
Mr Ramsay has had a strained relationship with his local party for some time. It is known that some Monmouthshire councillors are unhappy with what they see as a lack of meaningful engagement with them.
In January the MS was suspended from the party after he was arrested on New Year’s Day.
Gwent Police issued a statement at the time which said: “We received a report of a disturbance at an address in Chepstow Road, Raglan, on Wednesday, January 1, at around 8.05pm.
“A 44-year-old man from the Raglan area was arrested following an incident but he has been released with no further action following investigation.”
Mr Ramsay was later reinstated to the party.
Earlier this month we reported that members of Monmouth Conservative Association had received a letter from its chairman, Nick Hackett-Pain, who said its officers had been “in receipt of a petition signed by a large number of association members”.
“This petition requests for a special general meeting of the association to be called to reconsider the adopting of the sitting member, Nick Ramsay, as our prospective candidate for the Welsh Parliament (Senedd) election next year.”
Yesterday Judge Paul Matthews dismissed Mr Ramsay’s application for an injunction, saying his case had no merit. Costs were awarded against the MS. A spokesman for Monmouth Conservative Association said: “We are absolutely delighted with the result today.
“The judge threw out the arguments put to the court by Mr Nicholas Ramsay, making it clear that we have a right to hold the meeting.
“We are pleased that Mr Ramsay will now be required to pay considerable costs incurred by Monmouth Conservative Association out of money raised by voluntary efforts to fight next year’s Senedd election.”
The constituency’s Tory MP, David Davies, a Wales Office Minister, said: “I would never consider suing my local party members. If they were unhappy with me, I would talk to them, and if theft wanted me to go, I would walk away.
“What has to be remembered is that they work very hard to get politicians elected – holding coffee mornings, delivering leaflets and knocking on doors. I consider that I owe them everything.”
Neither Mr Ramsay nor his solicitors responded to requests for comment.