Tory MP Backs Anti-Wind Farm Rival as Part of Byelection ‘Strategy’

A reporter working for Greenpeace has obtained covertly filmed footage of Chris Heaton-Harris, the Conservative Campaign Manager for the Corby by-election, in which the MP claims to have helped engineer the campaign of James Delingpole, a rival independent candidate pushing to block the development of wind energy.

In the video Heaton-Harris is heard explaining that he aided Delingpole by introducing him “to a handful of people who can sort him out” as a means of “causing hassle” and pushing the government towards an anti-windfarm position.

The Tory MP has defended himself from allegations of political collusion by citing the fact that, as he pulled out before submitting the deposit required to formalise his candidacy, Delingpole was never technically running against the Conservatives.

However, the Greenpeace video reveals that this was merely part of the arrangement. In the recording Heaton-Harris can be heard saying:

Delingpole, who is my constituent, and a very good friend [...] put his head above the parapet, but won’t put his deposit down … It’s just part of the plan.

Elsewhere in the recording he boasts about the help given to Delingpole from members of the conservative party:

So my deputy chairman, political, resigned from my local party and is running his campaign as [Delingpole's] agent. So it’s all professionally done. The whole point of that is to actually just put it on the agenda.

In addition, Delingpole’s campaign website, which described him as ‘an independent anti-windfarm candidate’, was set up for him by Tory councillor Donna Edmonds. Edmonds claims that, as she knew Delingpole wouldn’t ever put down a deposit, there was no conflict of interest.

The energy minister John Hayes has also been implicated in the scheme. On the same day that Delingpole would’ve been required to hand in a deposit, Hayes appeared on the front pages of both The Mail and The Telegraph in pieces featuring strong anti-wind farm rhetoric. Greenpeace’s reporter put it to Heaton-Harris that this allowed Delingpole to drop his campaign before putting down a deposit whilst giving the impression that ‘his work was done’.

When asked if this had indeed been a deliberate ploy from the energy minister, Heaton-Harris responded:

Nothing in politics, even if it happens by accident, nothing happens by accident.

When asked on his aims in making more of an issue of wind farms Heaton-Harris said:

It will go through way past the Corby by-election stuff. I’m trying to write it into the DNA of the Tory party.

The day after standing down, Delingpole wrote a piece for The Telegraph including the following passage:

Have I just broken the record for the shortest and most successful election campaign in the history of politics? [...] And did my own brief involvement in the Corby by-election play its part in concentrating David Cameron’s mind and shifting government policy? Well obviously I’d like to imagine so, but I’m not going to boast.

Commentating on the investigation, John Sauven, Greenpeace executive director said:

Britain’s energy future is at risk of being hijacked by a militant faction of climate-sceptics and anti-wind MPs on the radical right of the parliamentary Conservative party.

Green Steve’s Reaction

While it is no secret that I am anti-Tory in general, this apparent “strategy” disgusts me. My genuine wish is that Mr Heaton-Harris loses all credibility for this. I sincerely hope that the Conservatives lose the Corby by-election and that Heaton-Harris himself loses any respect he may have as a politician.

Furthermore, I sincerely hope that he is immediately reprimanded by the Tory chief whip.

We do not want or need people like this running the country or any part of it.

He may claim that he was not trying to influence anything by engineering this farcical stunt but his words betray him:

I [...] suggested he did it. Which puts me in a very awkward [...]. Please don’t tell anybody ever.

If he hadn’t done anything wrong, why would he be requesting that it not be told ever?

What a joke.

Steve (156 Posts)

I am chief writer and editor on Green Steve. Blogging since 2011, I like to delve into a wide number of topics to help people reduce their carbon footprint. You should follow me on Twitter here. And add me to your Google+ circles here.

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