Boris Johnson was always dubbed the ‘Heineken Tory’ – the man who could always reach parts of the country which other Conservatives couldn’t. But now it seems that appeal hasn’t extended as far as, er, his own backyard ahead of next month’s local elections. For Hillingdon Tories appear to have removed any trace of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP from their election literature, following his recent woes over Partygate and the cost of living crisis.
Local elections are of course a matter for local candidates but political parties haven’t hesitated to put their leaders onto past leaflets when they think they’re onto a winner. The Prime Minister was also not mentioned in the Welsh or Scottish Conservative manifestos – promoting comparisons to the way Labour politicians airbrushed Jeremy Corbyn from leaflets when he was the party’s leader. Mr S has seen more than half a dozen pieces of recent literature from Hillingdon Conservatives, none of which mention their local MP, amid a hotly-fought battle over whether the local authority will go red for the first time since the 1990s.
Councillor Peter Curling, leader of the local Labour group told Mr S: ‘It isn’t surprising that the Hillingdon Conservatives have chosen to not include Boris on their campaign material. He is deeply unpopular on the doorsteps, and residents are very angry. Even traditional Conservative voters are furious.’ Local spin or genuine feeling? Steerpike looks forward to finding out on 6 May…
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