Katy Balls Katy Balls

Is there any point infiltrating the Tory party?

The recurring story of the summer recess – aside from allegations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia within the main two parties – has been reports of an influx of Ukip-esque members to the Tories. Today tensions reached boiling point. Following reports that pro-EU Tory MPs are seeing sharp rises in applications to join their local parties amid fears of deselection attempts, Anna Soubry called on Tory chairman Brandon Lewis to suspend a membership drive. He is yet to do so – but a leaked memo to Guido shows CCHQ officials have been offering advice to local Tory organisers on the best methods for refusing membership requests.

The whole incident is curious for a number of reasons. Firstly, a large chunk of the reason David Cameron called an EU referendum in the first place was to try and stave off the threat of Ukip – doesn’t it follow that it’s a good thing if voters are returning? Secondly, it’s not clear there is all that much machinery for these so-called infiltrators to seize control of.

It is true that there has been a slight rise in Tory membership – particularly since Chequers. It’s also true that this has made some Conservative MPs rather nervous. On a local level, disruptive members can have a negative effect. They would also wield a say candidates for Tory councillor roles. One member of government tells Coffee House some associations are planning to interview applicants. ‘We can also try and find out how they have previously voted,’ they explain. ‘CCHQ haven’t been very helpful on this. It’s not just about leadership elections, a tiny number of members can cause trouble at a local level if they’re the wrong sort’. They worry that a member out to disrupt things could have a knock-on effect.

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