Former Tory MP: We have lost our ‘most useful bigots’ over same-sex marriage
A former Conservative MP has lamented that the party has lost its “useful bigots” after implementing same-sex marriage, according to Iain Dale.
The LBC host made the claim in his blog for Conservative Home.
He wrote: “I was chatting to a former Conservative MP the other day about [late Tory organiser] Sir Anthony Garner, who was bemoaning the state of the party organisation and the fact that many of his members had died in the last few years or had buggered off to UKIP.
“‘The policy on gay marriage has had a bigger impact that Number Ten realises locally. They’ve even driven away our more useful bigots.’ Surely a front-runner for quote of the campaign?”
Conservative candidate Dr Sarah Wollaston, who chairs the Health Select committee, recently thanked an anti-gay group for publicising the fact she voted in favour of same-sex marriage.
Responding to leaflets distributed by the Coalition for Marriage, she tweeted: “‘Coalition for marriage’ are stuffing these through letter boxes in my area. Thanks bigots, I’m proud of that vote!”
The group has targeted a number of MPs in swing seats, publicising those who voted both for and against equal marriage.
The group likely aren’t making much headway in Brighton Pavilion, the constituency thought to have one of the highest concentrations of LGBT voters in the country.
