In association with Conservative Grassroots.
With UKIP on the rise in the national polls and at the ballot box, some Conservatives have been moved to raise the question of a possible Conservative/UKIP electoral pact. But with UKIP regularly relegating Conservative candidates into second (and third) place, who would step aside for whom? And would the members of either party stand for it?
Speaking on the subject will be
Douglas Carswell MP
Douglas is the popular Conservative member for Clacton in Essex. Given a Eurosceptic Rating of 9/10 on Guido Fawkes’ blog, he is described by Dod’s as “Tall and Eurosceptic … one of his party’s radical thinkers”. In the 2010 election Douglas increased his majority from just 912 to a very healthy 12,068, and was supported in that efford by UKIP, who declined to run a candidate against him.
Toby Young
Toby is an author, journalist, and co-founder of the West London Free School. He is described by himself on Twitter as “Maverick Tory, Classical Liberal”, and by popular consensus as ‘controversial’. In his Telegraph column he recently pitched the idea of an ‘advisory service’; a non-aligned brokerage service between UKIP and the Conservatives. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100214838/the-conservatives-need-a-better-ukip-strategy-than-vote-purple-get-red/
Roger Bird
Roger is Chairman of UKIP’s South East region. An alumni of the Bow Group, he served as Treasurer 1999-2000 and wrote two research papers for the group in the 1990s. He is a defector to UKIP from the Conservative Party, having served as a Conservative Councillor in Wandsworth 1998-2006.
Peter Wilding
Peter Wilding is the Director of British Influence and Trustee of the Bow Group. Peter has worked in European Affairs for 20 years and was former Head of Media and Policy for the Conservative Party in the European Parliament and former Head of EU Policy for BSkyB.
The discussion will take place in Committee Room 11, at 7pm on Monday 24th June. Admission is free, but if you would like to attend, please RSVP events@bowgroup.com and sign up to the facebook event here.