Fresh Tory Party turmoil over London mayoral shambles

(ES)

A fresh row erupted on Wednesday over Susan Hall’s selection as the Conservatives’ candidate for mayor as they launched a probe into their party in the capital.

The internal review will focus on the “structures, processes and organisation of the Conservative Party in London”.

Senior Tories immediately piled pressure on party chairman Greg Hands to ensure that the inquiry covers the selection process to choose their London mayoral candidate.

The revelation by LBC Radio of the review reignited the furore over the controversial selection of Ms Hall, who has voiced pro-Trump and pro-Brexit views, to be the Tory challenger against Sadiq Khan.

One London Conservative said the probe threatened to “chop off at the knees” her mayoral campaign.

The review will be carried out by Lord Lister, who was Boris Johnson’s chief-of-staff in City Hall and No10 senior adviser, with an interim report expected to be completed before the Tory party conference in the autumn.

Mr Hands told the Standard: “I and other senior London Conservatives have been concerned for some years that the party’s campaigning organisation is not as strong as it should be in London. Not withstanding the recent success of the Uxbridge by-election, we need to be operating more efficiently as a London Conservative Party.”

The main thrust of the review is expected to be the elections next year, including the London mayoral contest.

Party chiefs insisted its purpose was to “build on the success” of the surprise by-election victory, by just 495 votes, in Mr Johnson’s former constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip last month. But the scope could also include how the party’s mayoral contender is chosen in future after the row this year.

One senior Tory said: “If it’s not there, it should be.”

The inquiry was also being seen by some as a blow to Ms Hall. Richard Barnes, the former Conservative deputy mayor of London, told LBC: “I’d be damned annoyed to be quite honest. It is totally undermining her position.”

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He added: “Had they done the review post-election then that’s totally legitimate, but to do it now — when you have a live candidate, and to basically chop them off at the knees — I think it’s utterly and totally unfair. Why do it now? Why not wait a year.” London minister Paul Scully, MP for Sutton and Cheam, was seen as the favourite to be selected as the Tory mayoral candidate. But he failed to make the shortlist of three.

Another senior London Tory told the Standard that the probe had to include how the final three Tory mayoral contenders were decided on when “stand-out, far more experienced candidates Samuel Kasumu and Paul Scully” did not make the final round.

But he added that the review will also look at how the “ruthless” Tory campaign run for the Uxbridge by-election was successful by focusing on the extension of the ultra low emission zone to Outer London.

“The Tory party needs to get its mojo back,” he said. “The reason Uxbridge worked was because it was a ruthless campaign organised by local members, focusing on a local issue that mattered to voters.”

The probe is set to dissect the lessons from Uxbridge that can be rolled out across London for the mayoral vote next May and at a general election expected later in the year. A Conservative spokesman said: “The party chairman has appointed Lord Lister to undertake an internal review into the structures, processes, and organisation of the Conservative Party in London.

“The purpose of this review is to build on the success of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip parliamentary by-election in July, to ensuring that the Conservative Party in London is in the best position possible to take the fight comprehensively to our opponents in next year’s crucial elections across the capital.” It may also include how Tory candidates for the Greater London Assembly are chosen in future.

Andrew Boff, who also threw his hat into the ring to be the Tory mayoral challenger, said: “The review is needed even though we ended up choosing an excellent candidate. The procedure to select someone who has executive control of a £20 billion budget is not much different from the way we select local council candidates.”