Dan Barker, the Conservative candidate who stood against mayor Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, has defected to Reform UK. He accuses the party of not providing sufficient funding for his campaign and claims that they have abandoned the region. The Conservatives have not commented on the matter.
The Conservatives have 'given up on Greater Manchester and the North ' according to the man they picked to stand against mayor Andy Burnham in May. Dan Barker, who was the Conservative candidate, has defected to Reform UK. The magistrate from Sale claims he repeatedly asked the party for more funding for his campaign in the Greater Manchester mayor election. But he said, aside from £5,000 to print booklets, 'they didn't give me a single penny'.
Meanwhile, he claims that Susan Hall, who is the Conservative candidate for London mayor, told him that she has received around £5m. The party has said it has to be 'realistic' about its prospects in heavily Labour voting areas. READ MORE: 'I would bring police under my control if I beat Andy Burnham to become mayor' However, the Conservatives said they would not comment on internal party matters. Mr Barker said: "From being on the inside, I think there was a decision taken quite some time ago that they were going to protect the 'blue wall' in the south east and the south west where some of the cabinet members and senior party members have seats. "They've given up on Greater Manchester and the North." Mr Barker hit out at the party for the handling of its decision to cancel the Northern leg of HS2 last year, saying it was 'damaging' to the Tories locally. He said he was 'seriously considering' quitting and joining Reform in Januar
Conservatives Greater Manchester North Candidate Defection Reform UK Funding Campaign Party Andy Burnham
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Conservative candidate standing for Greater Manchester mayor defects to ReformThe Tories have two weeks to select another candidate
Read more »
Conservative Candidate for Greater Manchester Mayoral Election Defects to Reform UKThe Conservative candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election has defected to Reform UK, just weeks after Lee Anderson made the same move. Dan Barker said this morning that he is "delighted" to be making the move to Reform UK - which he describes as the "new home of conservatism". The Manchester mayoral election will take place on 2 May.
Read more »
Man dead after 'falling from height' as police execute warrant at apartmentsGreater Manchester Police attended a property on Hamerton Road, Manchester in connection with a criminal investigation
Read more »
Former Conservative MP Lee Anderson Joins Reform UKFormer Conservative MP Lee Anderson has joined Reform UK, making it his third political party in less than a decade. This move comes after a series of controversies and suspensions from previous parties.
Read more »
George Galloway considering running for Greater Manchester mayorGeorge Galloway, the new Rochdale MP, is contemplating standing against Andy Burnham to become Greater Manchester's mayor. He has threatened to wipe Labour off the local council and field candidates for Parliament across the country. Galloway aims to get a 'better deal' for the city's surrounding towns.
Read more »
Police seize guns, cash and drugs in Greater Manchester crackdownGuns, cash and a huge amount of drugs were seized by police across Greater Manchester during a week-long 'county lines' crackdown. The term county lines is used to describe the illegal transportation of drugs from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries. The mobile phone number used to take drug orders is referred to as the 'county line'. Children are often exploited to run drugs, with the homes of vulnerable people also used to hide drugs and cash, known as cuckooing.
Read more »