‘Abandoned by the Conservatives’ - insiders say Wellingborough Tory by-election campaign is struggling to attract top-level support

Local Conservatives say that their Wellingborough by-election strategy is struggling to gather momentum after high-profile Tories ‘abandoned’ the campaign.

With less than two weeks to go until the people of Wellingborough head to the polls, and with some pollsters predicting a photo-finish between Labour and the Tories, the campaigns should be reaching fever pitch.

But while Gen Kitchen’s Labour team have pulled in top-level regional support to oversee their slick strategy, not a single front-bench Tory MP has expressed support for Wellingborough’s candidate Helen Harrison, the partner of disgraced former MP Peter Bone.

On paper, the seat should be winnable for the Conservatives.

Despite the former MP Peter Bone being ousted after he was found to have engaged in sexual misconduct, they are sitting on an 18,500 majority.

But our reporters have spoken to a string of local Conservatives, as well as others in Westminster, on condition of anonymity, who have expressed serious concern at the tumbleweed currently rolling through the low-key Tory campaign.

Friends – and even opposition colleagues - told us that Ms Harrison was a well-liked, incredibly capable, and level-headed North Northamptonshire councillor. One described her as ‘the kind of person you want in your corner.’

But one leading Conservative said: “Standing in the seat of your partner who has been removed from office just wipes out any credibility.

"It opens you up to all these accusations of nepotism which may not be true. But if people believe the seat’s been handed to her they’re not going to come out and campaign for her.

"There are other people who are local who would have done a good job in Wellingborough so it’s a bit sickening for them to now be in this situation.

"Basically, nationally, the party just want it all to go away. They don’t want to get involved. They think it’s toxic. The more people see the name ‘Wellingborough’ on social media, the more they are reminded of what happened with Peter Bone.

"It seems like CCHQ have abandoned the campaign.”

With Wellingborough seen as such a key battleground in an election year, with the result likely to give a good idea of how the forthcoming general election could swing, a string of MPs would normally be queuing up to lend their support to the candidate.

But only one current MP, backbencher Priti Patel, appears to have joined Ms Harrison – publicly, at least – on the doorstep.

Neighbouring MPs, who have previously been willing to campaign across electoral constituencies, have not been near the constituency. It’s believed that only Andrea Leadsom (South Northamptonshire) has so far hit the doorstep, although she has not professed any public support for Ms Harrison and did not put any pictures of herself campaigning on social media.

Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry), and Andrew Lewer (Northampton South) and Michael Ellis (Northampton North) have expressed zero support on social media and have not been keen to help out on the doorstep.

A long line of local politicians, including Mr Lewer, have been pictured repeatedly on social media supporting Dan Soan, who is standing in a council by-election over in West Northamptonshire.

Even Corby MP Tom Pursglove, who remains close friends with Peter Bone – the man who he considers to be his mentor - has not been seen publicly with the couple since he was pictured by the Daily Mirror supporting his pal, sparking outrage.

“I think there’s an element of people having seen what happened to Tom and just running away at a million miles an hour,” said one Conservative.

"Before that, people didn’t really realise the strength of feeling. I’d say some people high up in the local executive were not really seeing what was before their eyes. Some still aren’t.”

The day after Ms Harrison was selected, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was asked by LBC to endorse her candidacy. He refused to do so, saying only: “Candidate selection is done locally, so local members in their area can choose a given candidate. That's how it works in our party.”

Since then he has not publicly mentioned the by-election.

By contrast, after travelling to the Mid-Bedfordshire to talk to Three Counties Radio in the run up the by-election in Nadine Dorries’ former constituency last October, Mr Sunak described candidate Festus Akinbusoye as ‘brilliant,’ saying ‘he will be a ‘great MP.’

Some believe that those inside the campaign think the seat may already be lost. Staff members who used to work in Peter Bone’s office – including his wife Jennie Bone and Steven North, who are both North Northamptonshire Councillors, had initially been told that their jobs would be safe should Ms Harrison retain the Tory seat.

A local source said: “It became very clear, very quickly that the support from central office just wasn’t there. Now they must know which way the wind is blowing.”

Another campaigner said: “People are now saying there’s a chance we could slip to third place. So many Tory voters won’t vote for her for obvious reasons. It’s completely short-sighted to have chosen her.

"The usual suspects are in denial and don’t seem to think it’s a problem. They’re convinced it’s all lies to discredit Peter Bone.

"There’s been very little by the way of CCHQ input. Even in terms of the campaign managers, they’ve left some of their best operators at CCHQ.”

Letters have been sent to all members of the Wellingborough as well as the Corby and East Northamptonshire parties urging them to get out on the doorstep. Members from the neighbouring constituencies have operated together as one team in recent years.

But the response has been cool, with some events only attracting one or two canvassers.

Another sticking point for local people has been Ms Harrison’s refusal to condemn the actions of her partner. She told this newspaper last month: “Peter has consistently made it clear that the allegations against him are false and unfounded and as his partner I’m one of the small number of people who has actually seen all of the evidence in this case and I believe the allegations to be untrue.”

The campaign is being run from Rushden Conservative Club instead of Mr Bone’s abandoned office in Wellingborough. But that hasn’t stopped a string of national journalists from traditionally Conservative-supporting publications visiting the office to use its dishevelled appearance as a metaphor for the campaign.

"They look suspiciously like co-ordinated hit-jobs,” said a media insider.

"It’s really unusual. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

The Sun published an unflattering piece naming two of the people who had nominated Ms Harrison’s candidacy as ‘convicted cop’ Cllr Matt Binley and ‘fraudster’ Bhupendra Patel, the shamed former mayor of Wellingborough.

The Times asked ‘Where’s Helen’ in an eviscerating sketch after they visited Wellingborough.

And the final insult was an astonishing piece written by Conservative Home, a website set up in support of the Tory party which offers news, analysis and comment on internal goings-on.

Meanwhile Gen Kitchen’s campaign has seen a shiny new office open in the town, and has welcomed MPs from across the country on the doorstep including – take a deep breath – Wes Streeting, Yvette Cooper, Jonathan Ashworth, Rachel Reeves, Ellie Reeves, Abena Oppong-Asare, Liz Kendall, David Lammy, Simon Lightwood, Jonathan Reynolds, Pat McFadden, Paul Rees, Tulip Siddiq, Alistair Strathern, Bridget Phillipson, Anneliese Dodds, Rachel Hopkins, Catherine McKinnell, Tan Dhesi, Toby Perkins, Matt Western and Jo Stevens, Michael Shanks, Julie Elliott, Meg Hillier, Lou Haigh, Rosena Allin-Khan, Clue Lewis, Kim Leadbeater, Steve Reed, Feyral Clark, Emma Lewell-Buck, Karl Turner and Rachel Maskell.

Tomorrow (Sunday, February 4) trades unions from across the midlands will be taking part in a huge campaign day in Wellingborough alongside Gen.

Reform, who could take a chunk of Tory votes, launched their campaign with a battle bus and a key member of candidate Ben Habib’s team has moved temporarily to the Hemmingwell estate to get in among local voters. He has garnered substantial support on social media.

We asked Helen Harrison’s team a series of questions about the lack of support from CCHQ, and they said they had nothing to add to our story.