Howard stands by Flight decision
Conservative party leader Michael Howard has this morning attempted to draw a line under the row over the future of former deputy chairman Howard Flight.
He told reporters in London that everything he had done with regard to Mr Flight had been in accordance with the Conservative Party’s rules and constitution.
The Arundel and South Downs MP was told by Mr Howard that he would not be allowed to stand for re-election after he was secretly taped saying his party was hiding the true scale of their planned spending cuts.
But Mr Flight, who resigned as deputy chairman of his party, wants to remain an MP and insists that only his local constituency association can choose whether to de-select him.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Howard said: “The fundamental point here is that this is about accountability and responsibility. We all have to be accountable for the things we say.”
He added: “We [the party] don’t say one thing in public and another in private.”
Party members in Arundel and South Downs say they have enough signatures to trigger an extraordinary general meeting in which Mr Flight’s fate will be discussed.
Mr Flight said on Monday that it was “for [the constituency association] to decide whether they in effect want to deselect me or not” and insisted he would abide by their decision.
The Conservative leadership insists that candidates have to be on an approved list in order to stand for election, and Mr Flight is no longer on that list.
A Conservative Party spokesman explained: “MPs are only on the approved list if they are in receipt of the Conservative Party whip. The Conservative whip has been withdrawn from Howard Flight and he will therefore not be a candidate in the forthcoming General Election.”
