Chris Heaton-Harris, the MP in charge of the Tory campaign for today’s by-election in Corby, has become the victim of an undercover Greenpeace sting that revealed his support for rival independent candidate, James Delingpole.
Heaton-Harris, a staunch opponent of wind farms, had encouraged the anti-turbine writer and climate change sceptic to stand, as a means of bringing the issue to the top of the agenda and to “write it into the DNA of the Tory party”. The Greenpeace revelation is hugely embarrassing both for Heaton-Harris and prime minister David Cameron, who now faces fresh accusations of being unable to manage his rank and file – the MP’s indiscretion coming so soon after Nadine Dorries left her constituents for up to a month to take part in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Greenpeace covertly filmed Heaton-Harris meeting with Chris Atkins, a filmmaker pretending to be a member of a fictional lobby group entitled Windefensible. Heaton-Harris proceeded to explain a “plan” and “strategy” whereby he would provide Delingpole with “a handful of people who will sort him out”, were he to stand – including, astonishingly, the deputy chairman of his own constituency party, who did indeed step down to become Delingpole’s campaign agent.
Heaton-Harris has subsequently claimed that nothing ever came of it – Delingpole did not technically run, as he failed to submit his £500 deposit. However, the timing of that non-payment was hugely suspicious as it came on the same day that Conservative energy minister John Hayes announced that the Coalition would not licence any more wind farms. As such, Heaton-Harris stands accused of supporting a rival in order to put political pressure on his own party to alter its energy policy.
Theresa May has said that Heaton-Harris is “guilty of some silly bragging”, while Downing Street sources described him as “foolish”. Others have accepted his defence that he did not back another candidate, as Delingpole never joined the race. The MP also claimed that he was merely guilty of “bragging about things beyond my control” and that “the implication that I choreographed any sort of ‘secret plan’ is simply not the case”.
Whatever the truth, Heaton-Harris has apparently achieved what he set out to do – but at what cost to his career remains to be seen. Cameron, meanwhile, will surely be seething at such underhand political manoeuvres, which could have backfired spectacularly had Delingpole made the formal decision to stand. Cameron’s party has provided yet another opportunity for his political rivals to accuse him of weak and ineffectual leadership.