New Party aims to break mould - but not yet

A WEALTHY Scots industrialist promised yesterday to invest millions of pounds in a new political party in an attempt to break the main parties’ grip on British politics.

Robert Durward, who bankrolls the New Party, said he intended to stand candidates at the next Holyrood election in 2007 and his aim was to put up a "full fleet" of candidates for the next general election.

The New Party has not put up any candidates for this year’s general election but it has been publishing its policies in the hope of boosting its profile ahead of future elections.

It is costing Mr Durward, who made his money in quarries, a great deal. He is the sole backer of the New Party and funds an office in Livingston with a staff of seven at a cost of about 150,000 a month. This is on top of the 188,000 spent at the last Scottish election - the party was then called the Scottish People’s Alliance - a campaign that attracted only 8,000 votes.

Mr Durward’s financial commitment has run into millions of pounds already, but he insists he is in for the long haul and will continue to bankroll the New Party in the hope of bringing about a major shift in British politics.

He said he had spoken to a number of wealthy businessmen who were keen to get involved at some stage but had not yet committed themselves to his project. Until that happens, Mr Durward will continue to be the sole financier of the party.

He insisted his "adventure" was not a short-term fix and said: "I would hope to stand a number of candidates in the Scottish election and the ambition would be to stand a full fleet in the general election."

The New Party is generally perceived as a centre-right party, aimed at winning over disillusioned Conservatives and non-voters.

It does have radical ideas: such as a flat rate of tax at 22 per cent on all earnings over 12,000; restructuring the entire welfare state; ending state benefits, and giving everyone a share of the country’s wealth which they would then use to fund health, education and pensions throughout their lives.

The New Party is generally anti-European, in favour of a crackdown on immigration and advocates a reduction in the amount of money spent on public services.

The programme does appear Tory in feel, if not in detail, but Mr Durward is adamant that he wants to be neither Tory nor Labour, but something completely different.

He did try to influence Tory policy in the past but became disillusioned. He said: "I tried to help the Conservative Party. I gave them money and ideas. They took the money but were not interested in the ideas."

Mr Durward does appear to be trying to achieve the impossible: he is trying to change the British political system virtually on his own. But he is so passionate about his aims, that he does not appear to countenance failure.

"People always told me I was trying the impossible, like with the quarries, but I proved them wrong then and I will do it again," he said.

The New Party has, he says, "a couple of thousand" members across the United Kingdom but not many in Scotland.

He acknowledges that Scotland has been "a particularly tough nut to crack" and he is having more success attracting supporters in the south-east of England.

And, with policies which describe welfare payments as a "cancer" and immigration as "having reached new heights", it is not difficult to see why this Scotsman’s approach has failed to find favour among his fellow countrymen.

Mr Durward is a big, bluff Lanarkshire quarry owner who has become disillusioned with the political process and has the will, and the money, to try to change it.

However, it is difficult to see how his venture can succeed without support from other quarters, including other backers.