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Civil war in party over votes for Tory MEPs

Paul Waugh Deputy Political Editor
Tuesday 08 October 2002 00:00 BST
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Hardline Eurosceptics were accused of unleashing a new "civil war" in the Tory party last night after they began an organised campaign to unseat a raft of pro-Europe MEPs at a series of important selection meetings at the end of the year.

The fresh outbreak of internal battles for the representation in Strasbourg centres on e-mails sent by the right-wing Bruges Group to urge all members to vote only for what they consider "sound" candidates as MEPs.

The group, which was founded in honour of Margaret Thatcher's famous Bruges speech warning against a federal European Union, has sent out a list of those it describes as Europhile "baddies" whose voting record and reputation give cause for concern. Among its targets for deselection are the Earl Stockton, the grandson of Harold Macmillan, the former Tory Prime Minister.

Unlike MPs at Westminster, Tory MEPs have to undergo an open reselection in which anyone can stand against them. The London region will begin its own process on 9 November, with others to follow soon after.

All candidates have to be in place by next January to give a long lead-in ahead of the European Parliament elections in 2004, and many in the party are keen to improve further on William Hague's success in 1999 in displacing Labour as the biggest UK group.

The MEPs have long been accused of "going native" in Brussels and signing up to a Christian Democrat-style agenda of federalism and warmth to the euro. A group of more Eurosceptic members was elected three years ago.

However, the Bruges Group believes that the Conservative group is still dominated by pro-Europeans. Its e-mail states that "sitting Conservative MEPs won't be unopposed in their campaign to be automatically re-selected and put straight back on the plane to Brussels".

It advises members to read the European Union's own website – europa.net – to find the recorded position of MEPs, as well as the Eurosceptic website Candidlist, which claims to define pro and anti-euro supporters.

The e-mail states that "the good guys are Roger Helmer, Charles Tannock, Chris Heaton-Harris, Daniel Hannan and Martin Callanan. So put them at the top of your list."

It adds: "Conversely, careful reading of these sources will lead us to shed no tears for the departures of Messrs Elles, Evans, Perry, Beazley, Harbour, MacMillan-Scott, Provan, Goodwill, Chichester, Sturdy, Purvis, Atkins, Corrie, the Earl Stockton and Mrs Jackson. Don't even give them a placing on your ballot paper."

Last night, pro-Euro Tories denounced the new attempt at deselections and said that much of the information was inaccurate and out of date.

One senior source said last night: "This is a recipe for civil war and Iain Duncan Smith needs to issue a reprimand and soon. Fortunately these people will be outnumbered by the large numbers of ordinary members voting in selection contests."

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