By Press Release
Friction is breaking out among Island Conservatives after Tory council group leader, Joe Robertson, announced this week that he will be standing for selection for the new East Wight constituency.
Last Saturday Conservative Party chairman, Greg Hands MP, visited the Island and attended a fund-raising event for the local association. Cllr Robertson organised a canvassing and leafletting session beforehand, during which Mr Hands helped dish out leaflets in which Cllr Robertson was described as “Next MP for East Wight”, although the leaflet then made it clear that he was simply standing for selection as a candidate. No other aspiring candidates were invited to take part.
Some party members felt it was inappropriate for the Tory party chairman to be seen to favour one potential candidate over others in advance of the selection process.
Cllr Robertson made light of the controversy. He said the session was organised at the last minute and added: “I was out campaigning in Bembridge, distributing my councillor literature with the party chairman, as I did last year with the then party chairman, Andrew Stevenson.
“Greg Hands is not endorsing any of the candidates, and I’ve not claimed that he is.”
The IW Observer was told that the matter had been formally raised with the Conservative Party by local association officers; however, the party failed to respond to requests for a comment.
In announcing his candidature, Cllr Robertson, who works as an in-house advisor to a national dementia charity said: “It is a huge honour to represent residents on the IW Council and campaign about the things that matter most to Islanders like affordable housing, local NHS funding and regeneration of our towns. It would be an even greater honour to
have the opportunity to champion the East Wight in Parliament and build on the work I have already started.”
Cllr Robertson previously stood for parliament in 2019 in Erith & Thamesmead.
A committee of the local Tory association will select the finalists for the East Wight seat on June 10, with the final decision taken by party members at a meeting on June 19. There are at least three other local candidates who wish to be selected to fight the seat for the Conservatives.