Monday, July 02, 2007

EXCLUSIVE: Caroline Spelman to Take Over CCHQ Within 24 Hours

The deal is done. Caroline Spelman will be appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party within the next 24 hours. Nothing like putting your head on the block is there? I first predicted this appointment in my column in last Friday's Telegraph but I have just been told by a very good source indeed (remember how I got the Andy Coulson story?) that it is going to be announced imminently.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sure you're glad now that you put up such a good case for keeping Maude...

Will there now be an article saying what a good decision it was to make this change?

(OK, I'm just trying to wind you up, but it is fun!)

Anonymous said...

She wasn't first choice though - apparently Hague and Fox turned it down.

Anonymous said...

Another part time Chairman without a full time CEO.

Not a good way to run anything.

Anonymous said...

I fear she might be rather too nice a person for this job!

Anonymous said...

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse...

Iain Dale said...

Londoner, I think you can take it as read that I think it is a mistake to move Maude. I like Caroline, but I am afraid this is not the job I would have put her in personally. However, cometh the hour...

jg - wrong. This was a News of the World story yesterday. I have good reason to know it is wrong.

Hf - I think you wiull be eating those words within 24 hours.

Anonymous said...

It was also reported in the Sunday Times. I guess you can't believe everything you read...

Anonymous said...

... though I am surprised she was first choice

BJ said...

Would Chris Grayling, Caroline Spelman or Andrew Mitchell do a better job? I think not.

Whoops.

Anonymous said...

It's actually quite difficult to judge in isolation from other changes presumably being made simultaneously. But, Iain, without my suffering from your handicap of liking her, I share your underwhelment. When she speaks she seems to flail about attacking the Government like mad, but it's very difficult to devine much intellectual foundation or sense of direction. But perhaps she is an ace organiser and motivator of CCHQ staff? It's always possible.

Iain Dale said...

BJ, why whoops?

Anonymous said...

Iain if we are getting as well a full time CEO (not an MP) I would be delighted.

Why would I need to "eat my words"?

Iain Dale said...

HF, can't tell you just yet.

Anonymous said...

It can't be true!

According to the News of the World's political editor (yes, they have one) at the weekend Cameron has "scrapped plans for a major shadow cabinet reshuffle this week - because no one wants to be his new party chairman"!

Guess, that's why there's not much politics in the News of the Screws

Unknown said...

Poor Francis.

All that hard work to modernise HQ, laying the vital foundations for future success, and all because what he has done isn't sufficiently "visible", he gets the boot.

Anonymous said...

So what? Deckchairs and Titanic come to mind.

Anonymous said...

That is a shame, I agreed with you about Francis Maude.

Tapestry said...

Maude was ok for the Blair era...the big picture, broad brushstrokes and so on. Now it's Brown time - a game for dullards with detail. Spelman will hopefully be dull enough to bore Brown into submission. Maude is far too sexy.

Anonymous said...

Just for the hell of it, has a little peruse at Caroline Spelmens Members Interests, and voting habits. Very interesting indeed. Seems that she is very strongly ""against"" equal gay rights, pro fox hunting, pro Iraq war; not exactly a good bag of qualities. More interesting she doesn’t seem to have declared the £10,000 that the Midland Industrial Council gave her to aid her 2005 election campaign.