Tories poised to open new HQ in region
Yorkshire base will show commitment to ‘ blue wall’ seats, party chief claims
THE CONSERVATIVE Party is set to open a new headquarters in Leeds with the aim of being “at the heart of the blue wall”, The Yorkshire Post can reveal.
Party co- chairman Amanda Milling will unveil the plans at the Conservative Party Conference today, with the new Yorkshire base set to open next year.
Ms Milling, who worked in Leeds before she became an MP, will open the conference and is expected to say: “We are determined to show our commitment to the blue wall seats.
“That’s why I am thrilled to announce that CCHQ will be opening a headquarters in Leeds.
“This new headquarters will provide the party with a base at the heart of the blue wall. Because we’re in it for the long haul.
“We’re determined to make the blue wall part of the fabric of our Party and our country. The best way we can deliver for people there is to be there.”
The Tories won more than 40 seats in the Midlands and the North at the December General Election as Labour’s so- called ‘ red wall’ of constituencies crumbled. In a bid to cement these gains, plans were put in place to open up a new campaign headquarters outside London.
Campaign headquarters are used for targeting voters and
seats, drawing up shortlists for elections, and finalising candidates, and it handles all campaigning for the party.
Readers of the website Conservative Home were asked for their suggestions on the location of the headquarters, either in the Midlands or North of England, which had good train links and was “well placed in political terms”.
The current central London location has previously been targeted by protesters, including by students in 2010 and in 2014.
Ms Milling added: “Last year saw the Conservative Party win seats we’ve never held before and we owe it to the millions of people who put their faith in us with their votes to get back to the business of delivering for them after years of arguing about Brexit.
“The best way we can do that in the Midlands and the North is to open a new headquarters in the heart of the blue wall. Leeds is a key part of our plan to build back better for the people of this country and building a campaign presence there reinforces our commitment to that task.”
It has not yet been decided where the headquarters will be but the party will join big names such as Channel 4 in moving to the city.
A spokesman said they were still working out how many staff would be moving to the Leeds base, but that they would come from across the country and discussions would take place in coming months.
It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously indicated he would like to see the House of Commons, and the House of Lords, move out of London and to York while refurbishment took place. Both Labour and the Conservatives have also floated the idea of moving more civil servants out of the capital.
THE CONSERVATIVE Party’s decision to move its “headquarters” to Leeds is a significant political milestone which should be recognised. It honours a promise made to voters in so- called ‘ blue wall’ seats who put their trust in Boris Johnson last December.
The proposed move also repudiates former party leader Michael Howard who said – infamously – before the 2005 election that the Tories could win power without the North. It could not and today’s announcement by Amanda Milling, the party’s co- chair, is recognition that the Tories – and their rivals for that matter – have been too London- centric with their outlook for far too long.
But Ms Milling should already know – and she previously worked in Leeds – that voters here see through token gestures. And this announcement also coincides with growing scepticism about the Government’s ability to push forward with the Northern Powerhouse and Levelling Up policy agendas.
Even more urgent in the wake of the Covid recession, and crucial to the electoral ‘ blue wall’ remaining solid, a series of stalled policies – like Environment Secretary George Eustice’s contempt for flooding victims by downgrading the planned Yorkshire- wide summit – suggests Ministers are increasingly out of touch with this region’s interests.
It is why this newspaper, for one, will continue to press for a dedicated Northern Powerhouse department to be set up in this region – and for other Whitehall ministries to be moved out of London. Only this will change the mindset of decision- makers and senior officials.
But the Tory decision could be a positive move if its presence here, and engagement with the 15 million people who live and work in the North, helps to influence – and change – the thinking of Ministers at the top of the London Government. They can only use Covid as a justification for dither and delay for so long before voters lose faith.