ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

Gareth McKeever reports on how campaigning is continuing apace in Westmorland and Lonsdale after his campaign office was burnt to the ground in a suspected arson attack

Each week a different PPC provides us with an insight into life as a candidate and gives us a flavour of their own campaign and interests. If you are a candidate and are keen to be featured, please email Jonathan Isaby.

This week’s diary is written by Gareth McKeever, who was selected in July 2008 for Westmorland and Lonsdale, a beautiful constituency covering much of the Lake District. Belfast-born Gareth was educated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, and quit his job as a stockbroker on his selection to move to Kendal and campaign full-time. The seat was gained at the last general election by the Liberal Democrats, who will defend a notional majority of 806. ConHome recently reported the news that his campaign office had been burnt down in a fire. You can contribute to his campaign and read more about him on his website.

Monday 1st March
Monday morning is admin, press releases and phone calls; Monday afternoon is canvassing. I much prefer the latter and this Monday we are in Kendal.

In aftermath of our fire (a suspected arson attack - click here to read the local newspaper's report) there is even more correspondence to deal with and happily much of it brings offers of help and good wishes. Local people have been tremendously supportive.

The canvassing response is very encouraging and we find many people who voted Lib Dem in 2005 switching to us as they realise that a vote for the Lib Dems only serves to keep Gordon Brown in No.10.

Monday evening I have a church group meeting. We have a great night and the evening flies by.

Tuesday 2nd March
Our March leaflet is starting to hit doorsteps and a large number marked for hand-delivery have just arrived at our temporary office, my house. I will be glad to move into our new offices next week. We have delivered a piece of literature to every home in the constituency every month for seven months. All the money to do this has been raised locally and they have proved a big hit with many local people glad to hear from us so regularly. When I was selected back in July 2008 one of my priorities was to get us communicating on a more regular basis. We have a great team of deliverers across the constituency and everyone is working incredibly hard to win the seat back.

I spend the first few hours of the morning drafting campaign literature and making a few calls before joining the canvass team. We are once again campaigning in Kendal and we have a great day. There is disbelief on the doorstep that the polls have narrowed as much as they have and everyone is understandably very worried about the prospect of a hung Parliament, where nothing would get done.

Tuesday evening I have dinner with senior management from the Lake District National Park and we have a very productive catch-up, discussing a variety of important local issues such as affordable housing and green transport within the park.

Conservative Association office burns down in top target seat

Devastating news from Cumbria today: the association office of Westmorland and Lonsdale Conservatives burnt down last night. The candidate for the seat, Gareth McKeever, tweeted the news earlier and sounds stoical in the circumstances.

I have not been able to speak to him to find out any more, but there is a report in the local paper here.

I imagine that any extra donations to association funds would be especially welcome right now in a seat where Gareth is seeking to oust a first-term Lib Dem MP who is defending a three-figure majority. You can donate via the PayPal link on Gareth's campaign website.

Jonathan Isaby

Gareth McKeever selected for Westmorland & Lonsdale

Gareth McKeever was selected for Westmorland & Lonsdale last night.

The previously selected candidate for this highly marginal LabourLibDem-held seat, Richard Bell, resigned in January following CCHQ action over a divided association.

Westmorland and Lonsdale's Richard Bell graciously confirms the ending of his candidacy

ConservativeHome reported on the controversial 'resignation' of Westmorland and Lonsdale candidate Richard Bell early last month.  Mr Bell has now written an open letter to the Westmorland Gazette graciously confirming the fact that he is no longer the adopted Tory candidate and wishing the W&L Association well.  A scan of that letter and an associated report are published below (both from the Gazette).  Click on either graphic to enlarge.

CCHQ's action against Westmorland & Lonsdale is warning to all Associations

LibDem Tim Farron pulled off one of the surprises of the last General Election when he ousted then Shadow Education Secretary Tim Collins from the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency with a 267 majority.  It was the only successful front of the LibDems' horribly-named 'decapitation strategy'.  The longer-term LibDem strategy of hard won gains in local council seats over many years had made W&L vulnerable and Cllr Farron overcame eroded Tory defences on a 3.5% swing.

The local Conservative Association moved quickly to select an opponent for Tim Farron (who continues as a councillor) at the start of this year.  After a recount they chose Richard Bell to overturn a majority that is projected to be 836 after boundary changes but divisions within the Association were immediately apparent.  Ten minutes after the selection a leading member of the Association announced their intention "to get rid of him".  Two key donors to the Association were particularly opposed to Richard Bell and efforts were soon underway to use CCHQ to accelerate his exit. 

A poor local result in May that saw a strong LibDem performance only increased dissatisfaction.  Bell loyalists blame inadequate aid from neighbouring Conservative Associations and a lack of CCHQ support to counter an influx of LibDem campaigners from across the region.  But CCHQ dismisses these claims from loyalists.  A CCHQ audit - just completed - purported to identify a weak, divided Association that was not improving.  The audit highlighted the lack of a campaign team and a website.  Mr Bell's separation from his wife and a delayed move into the constituency complicated matters but were not included within the audit.

Last Thursday neighbouring MP David Maclean - former Tory Chief Whip - visited Richard Bell at his workplace and warned him that he could resign now or face a bitter and almost-certain-to-be-successful (in Maclean's view) deselection effort from January.  After some hesitation and a few small edits Richard Bell signed one of two draft resignation letters that David Maclean had brought with him.  Maclean left Mr Bell - promising that his place on the candidates' list was safe.

Maclean immediately organised a special meeting of the Association for the following evening - at which it would be announced that the Association would be subject to special measures.  For that meeting - at which Mr Maclean and a team of campaign aides took control of the Association - green and pink-coloured forms were prepared.  Association officers were invited to sign the green forms if they agreed to the temporary authority of the Maclean team and had to sign the pink forms if they did not.  Signing the pink forms also meant immediate resignation from any position in the Association.  According to Maclean eleven pink forms were signed and more than forty green ones.  Everything was made messy, however, by Richard Bell appearing at the meeting and retracting his resignation - a retraction that was not accepted by David Maclean.

ConservativeHome is in no position to judge whether CCHQ's audit was fair or to evaluate Richard Bell's strengths and weaknesses as a candidate.  What is clear, however, is that the current party leadership is not prepared to allow what is perceived to be a underperforming Association to fail.  ConservativeHome is a great defender of the right of Associations to run their own affairs but there must be limits to the extent to which local Conservatives can undermine the regional or national brand.  Australia's John Howard gets actively involved in ensuring his party's candidates are up-to-scratch and part of George W Bush's 7th November setbacks were rooted in the centre's reluctance to deselect sleazy or underperforming congressmen.  I repeat that it is not possible for ConservativeHome to know whether W&L deserved last week's CCHQ intervention but it has to be right that CCHQ has these powers.  These powers must be exercised transparently, however, and there should normally be a 'second chance opportunity' for Association and candidate to put things right before they come under central control.