Ealing Southall: Tony Lit criticised by his own side

Hello and welcome to Ealing Conservative Councillor Phil Taylor, who has blogged thus about the Tory candidate for the Ealing Southall Parliamentary by-election:

He is clearly a controversial and high risk choice

Why is Tony Lit considered by his own side to be “controversial and high risk”? Well here’s a taster:

• Tony Lit’s selection led to an outbreak of criticism on ConservativeHome; in particular Francis Maude seems to have rather misled another would-be Conservative candidate who was told that he had decided their candidate in the by-election should be from Ealing Southall and therefore that this person couldn’t apply. Only one problem. Mr Lit isn’t either. He lives in Chiswick.
• Another Conservative member commented in the thread, “I know people on the candidates list who live in Ealing borough who weren’t even given the chance to put their names forward” whilst a third person said, “we will come a poor third in both of the by elections“.
• The claim that Tony Lit’s job stopped him from previously joining the Conservative Party doesn’t seem to hold up to close examination.
• Tony Lit is the Managing Director of Sunrise Radio, who were fined £10,000 for breaking election rules when his father stood as a Parliamentary candidate in 2001.

Interesting times…