Tories accused of hiding Eastleigh by-election candidate after she stays away from Radio 5 Live debate.
As someone who first came to public attention berating Tony Blair live on national TV, one might assume that Maria Hutchings would never run shy of publicity. But when Radio 5 Live held its Eastleigh by-election debate this morning the Conservative candidate was a notable absence.
The official explanation is that Hutchings was meeting voters with Welsh Secretary David Jones, recently in the headlines for suggesting that gay couples could not provide "a warm and safe environment for the upbringing of children". But it's more likely that the Tories simply didn't want Hutchings anywhere near a microphone (Eastleigh Lib Dems have responded with the "missing" poster below).
Having provoked a long-running row after she suggested that it would be "impossible" for her son to become a surgeon if he went to a state school, the candidate has become a liability. To some of us, this comes as no surprise. The day after Hutchings was selected, I wrote that she was "exactly the kind of political novice that the party should avoid".
With the betting markets all pointing to a Lib Dem hold (the latest odds give them a 79.37 per cent chance of victory), the Tories appear increasingly resigned to losing the seat. When they do, it will suit them to pin the blame on Hutchings. Reported by New Statesman 17 hours ago.
As someone who first came to public attention berating Tony Blair live on national TV, one might assume that Maria Hutchings would never run shy of publicity. But when Radio 5 Live held its Eastleigh by-election debate this morning the Conservative candidate was a notable absence.
The official explanation is that Hutchings was meeting voters with Welsh Secretary David Jones, recently in the headlines for suggesting that gay couples could not provide "a warm and safe environment for the upbringing of children". But it's more likely that the Tories simply didn't want Hutchings anywhere near a microphone (Eastleigh Lib Dems have responded with the "missing" poster below).
Having provoked a long-running row after she suggested that it would be "impossible" for her son to become a surgeon if he went to a state school, the candidate has become a liability. To some of us, this comes as no surprise. The day after Hutchings was selected, I wrote that she was "exactly the kind of political novice that the party should avoid".
With the betting markets all pointing to a Lib Dem hold (the latest odds give them a 79.37 per cent chance of victory), the Tories appear increasingly resigned to losing the seat. When they do, it will suit them to pin the blame on Hutchings. Reported by New Statesman 17 hours ago.