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Top level defection: Philip Nelson |
Schools row Tory defects
Labour delight as organiser switches parties in protest over policy
A TOP Tory in Camden has defected to Labour over the council’s failure to open a secondary school for pupils in CcLocal Conservatives were rocked last night (Thursday) when a key party organiser defected to Labour in protest at the council’s failure to open a new school for pupils in Bloomsbury, North Soho and Covent Garden.
Philip Nelson – celebrated as the party’s Campaigner of the Year at a branch awards ceremony two years ago – said the Conservatives had broken its promise to voters.
Labour welcomed him with open arms and membership papers are due to be signed by the end of the week.
Mr Nelson, who stood for the Conservatives at last year’s borough elections, said: “In order to get votes the Conservatives marched local people right up to the top of the hill, now they can’t deliver on what they said they have to march them right down again.”
Camden has been trusted with £200 million by ministers as part of the government’s Building Schools for the Future programme.
But none of it will be used to help pupils despite figures revealed by the West End Extra a fortnight ago showing a 200 per cent increase in primary school pupils in Bloomsbury, North Soho and Covent Garden.
Instead, a new school is set to open in St John’s Wood – a five-minute walk from Quintin Kynaston.
Mr Nelson, who is a governor at Argyle School in Bloomsbury, said Camden Conservatives wanted the school to be an academy sponsored by UCL.
But Mr Nelson added: “There is another part of the party which believes in holding an open competition but they are worried that it could lead to the new school becoming a community school which to them would be a nightmare.”
He had been thinking about making the jump for almost a year but had been inspired by ex-Tory MP Quentin Davies’ defection to Labour at a national level last week. |
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