Following yesterday’s Tory Stories report on the Conservatives in Thurrock, today brings yet more cause for concern at Tory election tactics. The Daily Mirror’s Kevin Maguire reports that the “hateful leaflet produced by Romford Conservatives in East London is so grotesque it could carry a BNP logo”. He writes that:

“Tory home affairs spokesman and local MP Andrew Rosindell admitted to me he was in the area when it was distributed. The right-winger said he was canvassing but didn’t see the alarmist flyer pushed through letter boxes by members of his team. That’s a shame because it includes two photos of him, including one picture with David Cameron.”

Maguire concludes that: ”it was a disappointment that I needed 10 minutes to coax the statement “I would not have used the words ‘opened the floodgates’” from the MP. Cameron described immigration as a sensitive issue, to be dealt with carefully. Yet in Romford, his party wears hobnailed boots. Apeing the BNP to defeat the BNP is to become the BNP.”

The leaflet bears the statement “promoted by Andrew Rosindell MP”, along with various inflammatory slogans, including: “David Cameron recently announced that immigration would be cut by as much as 75% under a Conservative government”, “Conservatives will scrap Labour’s human rights act” and “our prisons are at breaking point”. Amongst the phrases “opened the floodgates”, “population explosion”, and “mass immigration” it also states that: “Andrew Rosindell believe[s] that it’s time to say enough is enough”.

The full image of the leaflet can be seen on Monday’s Tory Stories report. Rosindell’s website bears the slogan: “Looking after Romford, Fighting for England, Putting Britain First”, whilst he has also tabled “no fewer than 102 questions on asylum and immigration” in the House of Commons and in the past “was a member of an organisation which advocated the voluntary repatriation of ethnic minorities”. In contrast, on the issues of unemployment and jobs he has tabled just 22 questions. Just this Monday he chose to ask “how many foreign nationals given leave to remain in the UK since 1997 have been convicted of a serious crime?”

Meanwhile, Conservative Chairman Eric Pickles remains silent on the allegations leveled by Thurrock’s Cllr Hipsey that CCHQ had been informed of local Conservatives’ discussion of a loose electoral pact with the BNP. Left Foot Forward contacted CCHQ who stonewalled over the allegations, giving ”no specific responses to our questions, just a broad denunciation of the idea of cooperating with the BNP”. If the allegations are untrue, why does Pickles not say so?

The questions continue to mount.

| Category Asylum and Immigration, Electoral Politics, London