Despite Rishi Sunak’s Denials, Fears Persist That Brexiteers Are Being Barred From Running as Conservatives in Snap Election

If Lord David Frost’s treatment is indicative of Tory electioneering strategy, Brexiteers have reason to be furious. On Friday, Conservative Campaign Headquarters had to clarify reports that the peer had been banned from standing as a candidate.Earlier in the day, friends of Lord Frost let it be known he had been told his candidacy had been “deferred.” But as the Daily Express noted with respect to other candidates, deferral often meant that a candidate was “effectively blocked from standing.” Nigel Farage was characteristically blunt on the X platform. “If David Frost is banned from standing for the Tories then we know the truth about them,” he tweeted. “They pretend to be conservative but are [social] liberals.”Prime Minister Sunak was quick, however, to deny the allegation. “David Frost has not been blocked from standing as a candidate at the election in July,” he told reporters on a flight from Belfast. “That is just not right.“The process only opened on Wednesday night and it takes time for the process to conclude for candidates selection,” Mr. Sunak explained. “It is not true to say he has been blocked.”Had Lord Frost’s friends called Mr. Sunak’s bluff? In their telling, it was a senior Conservative official who had told the peer that “his position had been deferred and would be reviewed after three months” — May 29.A former member of the European parliament, David Campbell Bannerman, had experienced the same treatment over “deferral.” As the Express explained, “While a deferral is very rare, it is notionally to allow the candidate extra time for development, such as public speaking.” For Mr. Campbell Bannerman, as an experienced politician, this was simply short-hand telling him that, if he wanted to be considered as a future Conservative candidate, to “be nicer about Rishi Sunak” in his social media. Nothing doing.While Mr. Campbell Bannerman is adamant that he has “always been loyal to the Conservative Party,” this doesn’t include being obsequious to the leader.Lord Frost’s friends have cause, therefore, for being skeptical about Tory Campaign Headquarters’s explanations. In the matter of leadership lèse-majesté, the peer, too, has form.Last December, Lord Frost suggested that anything that would improve the party’s chances at the next election, “must be done,” according to the Express.“The center-Left, with whom we must group the Prime Minister after last month’s reshuffle, seems to be happy with losing decently, to the approving applause of the establishment,” he stated. Conservative MPs, therefore, “have a responsibility to consider more broadly whether they think the current path can take us to an election win.” Suggesting that the problem lay with the Prime Minister, the peer concluded, “If they don’t they shouldn’t be resigning themselves to it — they should be doing something about it.”Nor did Lord Frost endear himself to No. 10 when it was rumored this January that he had a role to play in the £40,000 YouGov election poll that showed the Conservative Government losing massively.For this act of purported disloyalty, it was understood the peer was threatened with the loss of the Tory whip. Lord Frost argued that he was entitled to criticize the Conservative leader. Apparently, the Sunak team thought otherwise.After the debacle of last week, however, Lord Frost was magnanimous. “I wasn’t clear whether I could apply to stand for Commons seats at this election,” he told the Telegraph, “so I am grateful to the Prime Minister for clarifying that I can do so.”Yet the fate of other prospective candidates remains unclear. Allegations multiply that prominent Brexiteers and Boris Johnson supporters are shunned in favor of more centrist, social democratic entrants.Mr. Campbell Bannerman, for his part, is threatening action. “I am consulting with barristers on a legal injunction to pause the selection process for as long as it takes to resolve such selection issues,” he stated, “not just on my behalf, but on behalf of a number of other senior and unfairly treated figures.”As for Lord Frost, he is keeping his own counsel. “It is very late in the process, and time is short, but I will now consider the options.”At last count, 80 Tory MPs are standing down and CCHQ needs to find at least 150 candidates before the selection process ends on June 7.One would think Mr. Sunak would be overjoyed to have Lord Frost, Mr. Campbell Bannerman, and such Brexit stalwarts aboard ship. That difficulties persist, suggests that Downing Street has more at play than getting principled Conservatives elected.BrexitDiarist@gmail.com

Despite Rishi Sunak’s Denials, Fears Persist That Brexiteers Are Being Barred From Running as Conservatives in Snap Election

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