By Carole Dennett
A former leader of the Isle of Wight Council’s Conservative group has decided to become an independent councillor – after a row about Tuesday’s visit to the Island by party leader Kemi Badenoch.
Cllr Clare Mosdell, who represents Newchurch, Havenstreet and Ashey has sat as a Conservative since 2017 and previously served as a cabinet member. She resigned the Conservative whip this week after raising concerns about the event’s organisation and receiving what she described as a “condescending response” from current group leader Cllr Ed Blake.
The visit, orchestrated by Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), was tightly stage-managed, with no advance notice given to local party members, Even many senior Island Conservatives were kept in the dark. Cllr Mosdell, who led the Tory group from October 2023 to February this year, questioned why she had not been informed that the party leader was visiting the Island and quit after being told by Cllr Blake she should “attend more events”.
The IW Observer also criticised the visit, describing it as a “PR pantomime” devoid of any genuine engagement with Islanders. The newspaper was barred from taking photos or reporting on anything other than Ms Badenoch’s staged interactions with hand-picked attendees. While national and regional journalists were given unlimited access – and even had their ferry fares paid from party funds – local media outlets were told they could ask just two questions each, and only after all other media requests had been dealt with.
Editor Carole Dennett said: “We went hoping to report on a genuinely important political visit at which the voices and views of Islanders would be heard. After more than two hours of waiting around and even being told to ‘move out of the way’ to improve access for mainland media, it became obvious that Ms Badenoch was clearly not interested in the views of ‘ordinary’ Islanders – so we decided not to bother talking to her. The IW Observer was not going to be used in a PR pantomime to pretend she was genuinely interacting with local people – when that was clearly not true. She ignored other Islanders sitting nearby in favour of talking to Tory activists.
“We have since heard from a number of local Tory members who are also very unhappy that they were not given any information in advance of her visit – and therefore did not meet her. One explained: “We were invited to a meeting at the Ryde Castle with Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, but not told the party leader was also going to be there. If I had known I would have attended – I’m left wondering what I pay my membership for.”
Ms Badenoch subsequently posted photos on her official Facebook page of her sitting at the seafront , claiming she had spoken with “local people” on the Isle of Wight. However, the pictures were taken at the Big Kahuna, owned by former Tory Councillor Wayne Whittle, and were of hand-picked Conservative activists, invited in advance to meet her.
While Cllr Mosdell is now described as an ‘Independent’ on the IW Council’s website, she still appears on the IW Conservative’s website as one of their councillors.
Cllrs Mosdell and Blake have been approached for a comment.
Mal Butler