Tory leadership denies ‘loons’ remark

Pressure continued to mount on the British Conservative party leadership yesterday over claims that an ally of British prime minister David Cameron described Tory grassroots activists as "mad, swivel-eyed loons".

Party co-chairman Lord Feldman was forced to deny making the alleged comments after rumours surfaced on the internet that he was responsible. Downing Street also insisted no one at Number 10 had made the remarks.

In an effort to avoid a damaging rift with Tory volunteers, a party spokesman said the prime minister had the “highest regard” for the Conservative party’s activists and praised their “incredibly hard work”.

Newspaper reports claimed Tory MPs were under pressure from their local parties to take a stand on issues such as Europe.

'No problem'
The unnamed ally of the prime minister reportedly said: "There's really no problem. The MPs just have to do it because the associations tell them to, and the associations are all mad swivel-eyed loons."

The comments were made by a figure with "strong social connections" to the prime minister, the Times and Daily Telegraph reported.

Asked who was behind the "swivel-eyed loons" remark at a Conservative Friends of Pakistan event, Grant Shapps, who shares the chairman role with Lord Feldman, told Channel 4 News : "Unfortunately I can't reveal the answer to that, simply because I was not there and as far as we are aware it was not even said, but we just don't know."

He added: “I don’t believe anyone senior would say this type of thing, it’s not an attitude or a view I have ever heard expressed in No 10.

'Completely untrue'
"I'm trying to make clear, I don't believe it's ever been said. You can always run a story that said there were 250 people in a room and one of them said this."

Lord Feldman, a friend of Mr Cameron’s from their days at Oxford, said: “This is completely untrue. I would like to make it quite clear that I did not, nor have ever, described our associations in this way or in any similar manner.”

Relations between the leadership and traditionalists have been strained by Mr Cameron’s support for gay marriage, coalition with the Lib Dems and the difficult issue of Europe. – (PA)