Conservatives seek new candidate after MP ousted in spending row
The Conservatives are searching for a new candidate to fight the seat occupied by the party’s former deputy chairman, Howard Flight, after he was ousted following a row over spending cuts.
Tory leader Michael Howard announced on Friday that Mr Flight would no longer be a Conservative candidate after the Arundel and South Downs MP gave a speech hinting that his party were hiding the true scale of planned spending cuts to win the election.
Mr Howard’s swift move to draw a line under the political fall-out from the row was challenged by the disposed Mr Flight, who told BBC radio he had the support of his local constituency association and would fight the ban.
But late on Friday night, the association announced they would put forward a new candidate for the expected May 5 poll.
“Howard Flight has been a very good MP….. but obviously priorities are the elections,” Paul Dendle, a member of the Arundel Conservative Association, told the BBC.
Shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin admitted that Mr Flight’s suggestion the Tories could exceed planned £35bn spending cuts had been “embarrassing”
But he stressed the row could be turned to the party’s advantage, with Mr Howard’s swift action demonstrating that he would make a credible prime minister.
Labour have seized upon Mr Flight’s comments as evidence of secret Conservative plans to cut public services, a charge vehemently denied by Mr Howard.
On Saturday, Health Secretary John Reid used the launch of a new poster campaign against Conservative health proposals to accuse the
Opposition of hiding a ‘secret agenda’ for cuts to public services.
“Mr Flight was sacked for telling the truth. His views are not exceptional among the Tory leadership,” said Dr Reid.
“Cuts and charges are wired into the Tory DNA and they are widely supported within the leadership,” he added.
The row over spending cuts emerged yesterday after taped remarks from a speech given by Mr Flight were leaked to The Times newspaper.
Addressing a meeting of the Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward group, Mr Flight said the scale of the Tory’s planned cuts were being concealed because “whatever the fine principles, you have to win an election first”.
Mr Flight – involved in setting up the James review of public spending which identified £35 billion of potential savings – continued: “The potential for getting better taxpayer value is a good bit greater than the James findings (which have been) ‘sieved’ for what is politically acceptable and what is not going to lose the main argument.”
