Out Yeo Go

Is the worm turning?

Tim Yeo, a former Conservative minister, has been sacked by his local constituency party, despite the public backing of David Cameron and George Osborne.

Yeo is the second high profile scalp taken by the local constituency parties in the space of a week. What Yeo then says is itself telling:

“I voted in favour of gay marriage, that wasn’t a universally held view among my members; I have a very great commitment to addressing climate change, that’s not a universally held view; I’m in favour of Britain’s membership of the EU, that’s not a universally held view either.”

Well, yes, they aren’t universally held views – especially among traditional Conservative voters and members. He forgot who he is supposed to serve – and it is not the executive, it is his constituency. They are his employers and if he ignores their wishes then he pays the price. This is a good thing, not a bad one. MPs are elected to represent the constituency, not the party and not their own hobby horses and it is unlikely that those who originally selected him and voted for him are in favour of his progressive agenda. If he cannot vote in favour of what they want rather than what he wants, then he is in the wrong job. A few more sackings are in order, I think.