Conservatives want to open new HQ in the North of England to be closer to swathes of voters who switched from Labour at 2019 election
- Officials said office would ‘better reflect the party’s new geographic make-up’
- Would be a visible symbol of the Tory presence in previously Labour heartlands
- Boris Johnson pledged to earn trust of Labour voters who ‘lent him’ their votes
The Conservative Party is considering setting up another base outside London following its election wins in the North and Midlands.
Officials said they were looking at whether to establish an office to ‘better reflect the party’s new geographic make-up’.
The building would be a visible symbol of the Tory presence in previously Labour heartlands.
The Conservative Party is considering setting up another base outside London following its election wins in the North and Midlands. Pictured: Boris Johnson yesterday
On the day after his election triumph, Boris Johnson pledged to earn the trust of Labour voters who ‘lent him’ their votes.
A Tory spokesman said: ‘Following the strong and historic result in December, there were a series of early discussions about how our structures better reflect the party’s new geographic make-up.
‘This includes a project to look at potential sites for another CCHQ [Conservative central headquarters] office outside of London.
The Prime Minister saw unexpected victories in constituencies such as Blyth Valley – a seat never held by the Tories since its 1950 inception. Pictured: Blyth Valley Conservative MP Ian Levey (right)
‘Nothing has been confirmed and any changes would be made in consultation with staff.’
The Prime Minister saw unexpected victories in constituencies such as Blyth Valley – a seat never held by the Tories since its 1950 inception – Blackpool South and West Bromwich East.
According to the Conservative Home website, a Downing Street source confirmed a big shake-up to the party structure as a result.
‘There will be a small office in London but maybe up by King’s Cross,’ the No 10 insider said.
Labour leadership candidate Lisa Nandy (pictured) has said she wants the party to leave Southside, its premises in Victoria, close to Westminster, for a location in its former heartlands as part of efforts to reconnect with voters it lost at recent elections
The report said Downing Street wanted the new venue to be ‘somewhere reasonably close to a university with good maths/physics departments (we should get a data team up there), good train links, well-placed in political terms’.
At present CCHQ is spread across two floors of 4 Matthew Parker Street, a commercial property a short walk from Parliament.
During the Thatcher years, the Tories were based in Smith Square.
The idea of getting out of London is not limited to the Tories. Labour leadership candidate Lisa Nandy has said she wants the party to leave Southside, its premises in Victoria, close to Westminster, for a location in its former heartlands as part of efforts to reconnect with voters it lost at recent elections.
Announcing her leadership pitch earlier this month, she said: ‘We can’t just keep changing the man at the top and making decisions from Victoria in London and think we can fix things for people.’