Tories in turmoil over candidate

OLDHAM East and Saddleworth Conservatives have no candidate to fight the General Election which is only seven months away.

And local activists are concerned they may have a candidate imposed on them by the party hierarchy.

The delay has forced one prominent member to complain to Tory leader David Cameron and party chairman Eric Pickles.

Oldham East and Saddleworth is one of the country’s most marginal seats, held by Government Minister Phil Woolas since 1997, with a 3,500 majority0.

His Liberal Democrat opponent, Elwyn Watkins, was chosen two years ago.

Former Oldham Conservative councillor Chris Shyne accused the Tories’ North-West organisation of blocking the selection, and sent his complaints to Mr Cameron and Mr Pickles, but had no replies.

He said: “We haven’t got a candidate, we can’t advertise for candidates. Why is the North-West Conservative office, who are full-time employees of the party, preventing my constituency party from interviewing for one?”

Mr Shyne is concerned that Manchester barrister Kashif Ali is acting as the Tory candidate before there has been a selection procedure.

He said surveys distributed in Oldham by Tories nationally were overstamped with Mr Ali’s home address in Moorby Street, Higginshaw, for replies.

And Mr Ali had also set up an Oldham East and Saddleworth Conservatives’ website, describing himself as responsible for co-ordinating Conservative Party campaigning across the constituency.

Mr Shyne said: “We have someone who appears to be going about as a candidate. He has brought new members to meetings.

“We are not suggesting for a moment that this person might not be suitable, but he has to make himself available for scrutiny before a selection panel along with other applicants.

“We are being prevented from going through this process by full-time party officials. They have to provide us with a list of members available, otherwise our members can’t get started.”

Oldham East and Saddleworth Tory chairman Barbara Jackson added: “We expect to go through an executive meeting to chose from a panel but it looks like there will only be one candidate.

“The powers that be have told us that this is because people haven’t come forward.

“Yet there are people in the pipeline wanting to stand. I know of two or three.”

But Mr Ali, who was brought up and educated in Oldham and is a member of St John’s chambers in Manchester, said the selection delay was due to the MPs’ expenses scandal, when David Cameron decided to reopen the lists for new candidates.

Mr Ali said: “There is no attempt to impose anyone in any area. You would have thought there was a preference for a local candidate.

“I am saddened someone felt so strongly about this, but someone has completely got the wrong end of the stick.”

A former Oxford and Cambridge graduate, Mr Ali said he has been active in Tory politics in Manchester, where he was deputy chairman of the local party and campaigned during this year’s European elections.

He also helped organise a Tory petition for a new cinema in Oldham earlier this year.

He said he encouraged new members from St Mary’s Ward, where he grew up and lived most of his life, to join the constituency party.

He added: “We have a lot of campaigning activities and all this has to be paid for, and the only way is to raise funds through membership.”