Tory activists to ditch their candidate for Darling's seat

Published on Tuesday 9 September 2008 09:44

THE Tory candidate due to take on Chancellor Alistair Darling at the next general election is facing deselection by the local party.

Conservative activists in Edinburgh South-West have passed a motion of no confidence in David Potts, a councillor from South Tyneside, whom they picked last year to fight the seat.

And they have written to Scottish Conservative headquarters asking for him to be removed as candidate.

Mr Darling had a majority of 7242 at the last election, but with Labour's opinion poll rating collapsing, local Tories believe their chances of taking the seat have improved.

And they complained Mr Potts was not spending enough time in the constituency to mount an effective campaign.

Inez Paisley, chairwoman of the Edinburgh South-West Conservative Association, declined to comment on the deselection move. But one association member said Mr Potts had not been up to Edinburgh as often as he should have been and there had been "virtually no campaigning at all".

The member said: "He never attends any functions or meetings of the executive.

"The executive of the association unanimously decided to send a letter to Central Office, asking for him to be removed as candidate as they had no confidence in him any more.

"They are just waiting to hear back if they can go ahead with it.

"He seems to be in denial that this is happening. He doesn't seem to accept it, but he will go."

Mark McInnes, director of the Scottish Conservative Party, said he could not comment on internal party matters.

But a senior Tory said: "There is very little precedent for this in Scotland. It happens a lot in England, but we don't tend to deselect candidates up here."

Mr Potts, 25, was Tory candidate in Falkirk at the last general election in 2005 and fought Kirkcaldy in last year's Scottish Parliament elections.

He has been a Tory activist since he was 14, was elected as a councillor in South Tyneside in 2004 and is currently leader of the council's Tory group.

He was selected to fight Edinburgh South-West last year, but his name no longer appears on the association's website.

Mr Potts claimed he was "entirely unaware" of any move to deselect him.

"I don't know what you are talking about," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, I have a very healthy relationship with them."