Pressure on Mates to step down grows
The pressure on Michael Mates to stand down as Conservative candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Hampshire grew this afternoon when a second senior Tory in the area questioned his suitability to run in November’s election.
Councillor Steve Wemyss, the chairman of the Conservative association in the Tory-held seat of Portsmouth North, who is also a former Leader of the Conservatives on Portsmouth Council, said: “Candidates should be beyond reproach but there are question marks over him which the public deserve to have answered.
Cllr Wemyss, like many of his colleagues in Hampshire, is concerned over two points:
First, Mr Mates’ long-standing public support for the jailed fraudster, Asil Nadir.
Second, the issue of why Mr Mates has never paid to the Common authorities any of the estimated £40,000 windfall he received from his tenancy of a flat in Dolphin Square – the rent on which was publicly funded from his parliamentary allowances – as many other MPs have done.
This afternoon Mr Mates responded to his critics. They should bring their questions directly to him, he told me, and deliver any complaints directly to senior party officials. “I say to them, ‘if that’s your view you should talk to the Conservative authorities and not the press’ ” he said.
“I do find it extraordinary,” he told me, “that people who say they are disinterested Conservatives should make these remarks to you rather than to the area chairman, which is how you would expect Conservatives to behave.”
“All this is innuendo coming from people in the area where my defeated opponent in the selection process comes from.”
By “opponent”, Mr Mates was referring to Donna Jones, who is deputy Conservative leader of Portsmouth Council. Ms Jones was the runner-up to Mr Mates in the Conservative selection process for PCC candidate in Hampshire.
Cllr Wemyss, says he has made a complaint to the regional Conservative Party.
Pressure may also be coming from the top of the party. Earlier today David Cameron, at Prime Minister’s Questions, side-stepped a question from a Labour MP as to whether he supports Mr Mates as PCC candidate.
Cllr Wemyss said: “It would seem to me the PM also has some question marks in his mind. There should be a pause for reflection as to his suitability.
“Mr Mates is very experienced and when he has been asked questions he has avoided giving answers. ”
Another senior local Tory, Graham Burgess, deputy leader of Gosport Council, also urged Mr Mates to stand down.
He told me: “The candidate for police and crime commissioner should be beyond reproach and this candidate still has some questions to answer.
“I believe he should stand down and I have been contacted by many Hampshire members who have expressed a similar view.”
And I have spoken to several other Tories who share these views but aren’t yet willing to go public.
Follow @MichaelLCrick on Twitter.
There are 11 comments on this post
This is pretty thin gruel, Michael. ‘Senior figures’? In which universe. A couple of councillors unknown outside their own households and you turn this into ‘pressure is growing’. Since when has the deputy leader of Gosport council been a ‘senior Tory in Hampshire’. Since you needed to ginger up a story, I suggest. As for ‘pressure may also be coming from the top of the party’? What evidence? Merely your own interpretation of what Cameron said, almost certainly without expecting the subject to be raised, to a questioner who didn’t even seem to know the PCC elections haven’t happened yet.
Please try to keep your own agenda under slightly tighter control.
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Chairmen of Associations and Deputy Leaders of Councils are a little more than “unknown outside their own households”, as both are elected probably by more than Mr Mates was. He has been asked questions directly and failed to answer (though after a month on holiday he has thought up some) and finally put his London property on the market at £290K more than he paid in 2006 (mortgage interest paid by you until 2010). Complaints have been made to senior party officials at area level and to CCHQ and only bland answers given that it was a democratic process. 200 folk at Fareham selecting candidates to represent 1.9 million? There comes a point when the rank and file have had enough – it’s about time members were listened to.
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Disappointed that you chose to remove my original comment after it had been approved and sat on the site overnight. So here it is again…
Disgruntled local councillors (almost all of whom were at the original selection process) manage to turn a petty personal spat into an own goal against ther party, putting their party Leader on the spot at PMQs. Well done!
This is an example of whingers and whiners playing a game outside of their league. Watch them all backtrack when auntie Millbank comes looking for them……
Oh and BTW, Mates is the ONLY candidate for this post with the experience to make it a success for people in Hampshire. That is the real issue!
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I think you’re wrong to suggest that the Party members in Hampshire are frustrated at missed opportunities. Party members from across the County are frustrated that Michael Mates made the grade. The Police Commissioner role is about integrity, about delivering a Police Service for the public in Hampshire, about being whiter than white, beyond reproach. Michael Mates has skeletons that we dont like. He interfered with the Serious Fraud Office’s investigation into Asil Nadir; he was a character witness at Nadir’s trial; Asil Nadir has been convicted of numerous counts of theft from Polly Peck International. Additionally, Michael Mates claimed rent monies from the Tax Payer to fund a London home at Dolphin Square. He was paid off to leave a sitting tenancy. Somewhere in the region of £40,000. He should pay this back, as Joe Pub funded his living! Dare I go on. The Hampshire PCC salary will be in the region of £85,000. So, if elected, he’ll be earning £85K, a retired Lieutenant Colonel’s pension, a retired MPs pension. The latter two he earned, in fairness, but he’s made it clear that he’ll not be in the office too often earning the £85K! Not on if you ask me.
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I’m not a Tory but the Lib Dem Leader of Portsmouth City Council. For the record Steve Wemyss was the Conservative Opposition Leader on Portsmouth City Council but was deselected by his council colleagues.
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At the final selection Hustings when Mr Mates was selected.The question was raised about the Polly Peck situation.Mr Mates stated no problem to long ago.He then produced a folded A4 WHITE PAPER stating this was from John Major (PM @ the time ).He read but NO ONE was shown the text – quote he gave – he was good guy and the PM regreted him resigning.The 15 year old letter he said he carries with him all the time ? Then there is the expense saga of Dolphin? How did he even get proposed with this CV ?
How long would a 78 year old stay in post if elected , before he would resign and be allowed to claim the nice pension? He has resigned once and still many questions to clarify. His candidate position does the Tory Party and members no good at all in the current climate.Who and why was he proposed? A CV for this important position must make the Constabulary wonder what will there Job Scope be with such a Prospective person at the top.
I post this as a concerned past TORY Association Chairman.
i AM still a current paid up member.My donations were never meant to support such a high profile “Tory” person. Mr Mates is in my mind a new type of Tory – a “CONVENIENT” ( for his own gain ) Conservative.
With all these points Mr Mates wants the party to fund his campaign !!
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I am appalled that so called Hampshire Tories are back stabbing Micheal Mates because there own lightweight Candidate failed to impress during the selection process. If they had such concerns about Mr Mates past surely they should have raised the matter much earlier. Their comments about his financial details could apply to many many Tory MPs. It concerns me that the Hampshire Tories have such sad losers within their ranks
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I am appalled that so called Hampshire Tories are back stabbing Micheal Mates because there own lightweight Candidate failed to impress during the selection process. If they had such concerns about Mr Mates past surely they should have raised the matter much earlier. Their comments about his financial details could apply to many many Tory MPs. It concerns me that the Hampshire Tories have such sad losers within their ranks?
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Billy Pitt is talking rubbish. We didn’t support a Candidate, we went along to the selection meetings, and Mates wheeled in the ‘waiting-for-God-club’, who quite rightly had the chance to vote for him, but who had been driven on a coach paid for by him to the venue, in the middle of the Country, on Michael Mates’s old patch! They were lied to. He said he’d met the Chief Constable – he hasn’t (as he told the night before’s meeting), he said he’d received a letter of exoneration over Nadir from John Major – he hadn’t (there is no record in the former Prime Minister’s former or private office). What else will he lie about? He’s there to hold the Police to account for the public, but will he…
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After the door step interviewon Channel 4 Saturday – surely the TORY Organisers have seen Mr Mates is not the person for this Police Position.The Party has enough to fight & resolve currenty.The selection of this Man will only make it even harder for the electorate to return to the TORY fold. Positive Action now for Hampshire Tories PLEASE. As a TORY this is one time the party should appreciate Mr Cricks investigations
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I don’t subscribe to any political party but I will be voting in this election because it is critical that our police are influenced by someone of the highest integrity who can speak for the majority of sensible law abiding citizens. Michael Mates’ selection illustrates how politicians will stop at nothing to get elected and seize power and influence, and it shows that the majority of reasonable party members are powerless to prevent these people manipulating things for their own interests. Mates is clearly unsuitable for the PCC position by virtue of his dealings with Nadir alone, and the fact that the Conservative top brass allowed him to be selected indicates they are either out of touch or have total contempt for the feelings of ordinary folk. I hope that the media will be vigorous in exposing Mates’ past behavior so that people will vote aware of what he stands for and vote appropriately.
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