Tories split by Defection in Southall

A senior Conservative in Southall has defected to the Liberal Democrats, following the imposition of a candidate on the local party by Tory spin doctors. Mr Brij Mohan Gupta, Deputy Chair of Southall Conservatives has joined the Liberal Democrats and backed the Liberal Democrat by-election candidate Nigel Bakhai.

Commenting, Mr Gupta said: "Under David Cameron the Conservatives have become a party of style over substance. I agree with everything that Quentin Davies* said about Mr Cameron. This by-election reflects Mr Cameron's contempt for local Conservative members. His spin doctors ignored our wishes and forced the branch to accept someone whose commitment to the party is less than a week old. Almost all local Conservative party members feel like I do."

"When Mr Cameron came to Southall he did not have a single local official with him. The Conservative candidate cannot win in Southall. As the last General Election showed it is the Liberal Democrats who are challenging Labour here. "I am backing Nigel Bakhai, who will be Southall's next MP."

Edward Davey, MP for Kingston, said: "I am delighted to welcome Mr Gupta into the Liberal Democrats today. Senior Conservative Party members in Southall are extremely unhappy with the way David Cameron runs the Tory Party. People want their political leaders to have clear principles and policies, but under Mr Cameron even once loyal party members say the Conservatives seem prepared to say anything to win votes."

[* When he left the Conservative Party last week, according to BBC News, Quentin Davies MP said to David Cameron: "Although you have many positive qualities you have three, superficiality, unreliability and an apparent lack of any clear convictions, which in my view ought to exclude you from the position of national leadership."]