Cameron orders Tory blitz to stop Rochester going to Ukip
PM launches desperate bid to stop Ukip gaining further momentum – and to save his own skin
David Cameron promised to “throw the kitchen sink” at winning the Rochester and Strood by-election – and last night he stood by his word, ordering Tory MPs to do everything possible to keep Ukip from taking the Kent seat with their “Tory turncoat” candidate Mark Reckless.
Prime Ministers traditionally remain aloof from by-elections because of the snags they can cause. But Sky News reports that the Prime Minister will visit the seat no less than five times between now and the 20 November by-election, starting this week - before the Tory candidate has even been chosen.
The Prime Minister’s unprecedented personal commitment to stopping the march of Nigel Farage may have as much to do with saving his own skin as saving a once safe Tory seat.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But he’s not doing it all on his own. He has also ordered his 300 Tory MPs and ministers to visit the seat at least three times by polling day.
He issued the edit at a meeting of the Parliamentary Conservative Party – described by Sky News as a “council of war – saying the Tories would have to campaign "very, very hard" to keep out Reckless, who had a majority of 9,953 when he stood as a Tory in in 2010.
But the Conservatives have still not chosen a candidate. In an extraordinary move, Cameron wrote this week to all voters in the constituency urging them to reject the Ukip “circus” and take part in an open primary for the selection of the Tory candidate from a shortlist of two Tory women councillors in Kent: Kelly Tolhurst, a marine surveyor and daughter of a boat builder; and Anna Firth, a former barrister whose brother works at Medway Marine Hospital.
This meets a challenge handed down by Douglas Carswell, who, appearing on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, called for the Tories to hold open primary selections and cast doubt on Cameron’s willingness to embrace such a radical change.
But in the state of siege the Tories find themselves in today, Cameron is open to change.
He also dangled another pre-election “goodie” at voters by telling wealthier pensioners – core Tory voters - he wants to lift the burden of the “death tax” by raising the threshold from £325,000 to £650,000.
However, such a tax cut on top of others promised in his Tory party conference speech, leaves Cameron open to the charge of being profligate with unplanned, unaffordable tax cuts for the wealthy. Expect Labour leader Ed Miliband to zero in on these expensive promises today at the first session of Prime Minister’s Questions since MPs returned to the Commons after the conference season.
Indeed, the BBC’s Norman Smith was reporting early this morning that Downing Street was already seeking to pour cold water on the death tax “offer”, making it clear it was something Cameron hoped to implement one day, if and when.
What is evident is that Cameron is determined to win Rochester and Strood at almost any price.
The Guardian is reporting today that Ukip could win as many as 30 seats next May, way up on Nigel Farage’s own most recent estimate of eight, if Ukip continues to gain momentum. And my colleague Don Brind has been crunching numbers for The Week and found 14 Tory seats where sitting MPs might be tempted to “cross the floor” this winter and sit as Ukip members.
The big question now is how much blame will be attributed personally to David Cameron for this state of affairs. The Mail on Sunday quoted an anonymous Cabinet minister saying "if Reckless wins Rochester, there'll be 46 names” - a reference to the number of Tory MPs required to force a leadership contest.
At least Cameron hasn't lost his sense of humour. After telling the Tory party conference “You could go to be with Nigel Farage and wake up with Ed Miliband," he reportedly told his MPs yesterday: "You start with a beer and you end up with a dull whine."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?
The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Giant TVs are becoming the next big retail commodity
Under the Radar Some manufacturers are introducing TVs over 8 feet long
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published