Davis camp accused of bullying

"You know what happens to those who sit on the fence - they end up getting shafted."

That, according to today's Evening Standard* was the warning given to one MP by "a senior lieutenant of Mr Davis".

Jason Beattie and Joe Murphy's piece continued:

"MPs have interpreted the remark as a warning that they will be denied promotion by the whips unless they come out in support of the shadow home secretary, currently the clear frontrunner in the contest.

The disclosure will fuel worries in the Davis camp that some of his most loyal allies are going too far in their attempts to create an unstoppable bandwagon. One of his most senior supporters, Derek Conway - who is tipped to be chief whip if Mr Davis wins - was judged to have overstepped the mark by claiming in a television interview that some backbenchers were talking about collecting names to force a confidence vote in Mr Howard.

Mr Davis has made clear privately that he did not approve Mr Conway's comments, which were described by allies as "unhelpful"."

As supporters of the frontrunner, the Davis camp have most to lose from an extended leadership campaign. That may explain Michael Heseltine's strong support for Michael Howard's 'a-leader-by-Christmas' timetable. Speaking on last night's BBC2 Newsnight, Lord Heseltine may hope that David Davis may slip up over the next six months and create an opening for the Old Europeans' candidate, Ken Clarke.

Comments

[Simon C]

Certainly the current antics in Westminster don't create any confidence that our parliamentary party has the collective judgement and self-discipline required either to devise a strategy for recovery or to select the right leader.

This has become a dreadful, and entirely avoidable and unnecessary mess. Michael Howard, as I am sure he realises, bears a heavy responsibility for all of this, as do those who have been advising him. Quite how we proceed from here is difficult to see right now, but the prospect of all this dragging on to the party conference and then beyond to December for a leadership contest is not emphatically NOT what I'm thinking!

We needed an open rigorous but amicable debate about the party's direction. We haven't had it. At the end of all this, we will still need it.

[Rocco]

This whole situation is starting to become farcical and Labour must be laughing all the way to the 'non' vote! Next week's events in France will be significant yet the Tories have no credibility with the press right now. When Liam Fox speaks in the press it is not as Shadow Foreign Secretary, it is as 'a potential leadership candidate'. In the debates that will follow in the next few weeks that will be harmful.

[malcolm]

Hear,hear Simon,well said.I hope many of the 'actors' in this tragic drama read your missive and think very carefully before they make any speeches in public detrimental to our party.

[Adam O]

It would be the biggest shock, beating Liverpool's amazing win on Wednesday, if David Davis didn't win... it may well happen.

[Jack Stone]

In my opinion David Davis is unfit to be party leader because he shows with the sort of disloyal, self servers he surrounds himself that he is either a poor judge of character or he as more in common with his friends than is healthy.

[James Hellyer]

On those grounds, Jack, let's exclude every single Conservative MP. I mean they all work with some twisters!

Or, on the other hand, we could judge David Davis on merits as and when he sets out his stall.

[xrfoyswi]

TmnwhM amunbzagwpbs, [url=http://ilagihetftuz.com/]ilagihetftuz[/url], [link=http://udbtlaklnabo.com/]udbtlaklnabo[/link], http://iyzuhrjtsetb.com/

[buy cymbalta]

buy duloxetine us - buy fluoxetine online cheap buy cymbalta us - buy cymbalta united states buy duloxetine - buy cheap cymbalta no prescription buy cymbalta 60 mg - buy cymbalta 20 mg

[buy zithromax]

buy zithromax walmart - buy cheap zithromax buy zithromax online 500 mg - get zithromax online

[Buy Celebrex Online]

cheap celebrex - cheap celebrex online