Only a quarter of local Conservative chairmen are planning to back Britain’s membership of the EU, according to a survey that reveals the level of unrest among the party’s grassroots.
In a sign that David Cameron is failing to convince his senior activists, just 24 per cent of association chairmen who responded said that they would vote “remain” in the referendum.
More than two fifths (42 per cent) were planning to back Brexit. It highlights the risk of Mr Cameron alienating the heart of his party as he continues to point out the dangers of leaving.
The BBC survey, carried out for Radio 4’s The World This Weekend, spoke to about a third of Tory association leaders in a constituency with a Conservative MP. Of the 128 local chairmen and chairwomen who replied, 54 said they would vote to leave and 31 said they supported Britain’s continued membership. The remaining 43 said they had not yet decided.
There was also unhappiness with the extent of the deal struck by Mr Cameron in the negotiation process, which resulted in Britain being able to restrict benefits handed to EU migrants and handed protections to the City of London.
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Of the 124 chairmen who offered a view on the deal, 61 said they were not satisfied, with one stating: “It wasn’t a deal. If you ask for nothing and you get even less then it’s less. Why would anyone want to stay? I hate all the scare stories put about by ‘remain’. It suggests the country is full of incompetence and that’s appalling.”
Only a third (32 per cent) said they were happy with the deal, while 23 chairmen said they were undecided. One said: “My heart says Out but my head says ‘is it the right time?’ The feeling I get from my association members is that the majority are for Out. I and the majority of members are not happy with the deal struck by the prime minister.
“He hardly lived up to Maggie’s legacy showing his preference for staying in at an early stage. As a negotiating strategy that must have been a mistake . . . He should have bought himself a handbag. It might have stiffened his resolve and reminded him of the act he had to follow.”
However, another warned of Brexit: “Without the support our farmers receive from the EU, the industry would be in turmoil. If we did leave, the government would make it work but I am not sure the general public would want to invest the amount of money needed. Our industry would go under.”