Decision to defect
I have been speaking to Quentin Davies (watch the interview here) and what I've been told is that he and Gordon Brown have been talking frequently over a period of months. Remember that Mr Davies has long been at odds with the Tory leadership over Europe, and he was highly critical of David Cameron's decision to break with the EPP (the alliance of conservative parties in Europe), and he'd started to become more and more outspoken on that issue.
He knows Mr Brown because he has served on the Treasury Select Committee, so the two men already had some sort of relationship, and I'm told they bumped into each other a few months ago, got chatting, and that Mr Davies talked about how he admired one of Mr Brown's speeches... and Gordon Brown, ever with his eye on the political opportunity, invited Mr Davies in for a longer chat.
In recent weeks more of those chats have taken place, and finally, yesterday, Mr Davies decided to defect, and to write a to Mr Cameron - which reads, frankly, like it was written by Labour Party HQ, though we're assured it was written in its entirety by Mr Davies himself.
This is bad for David Cameron - not because Quentin is a household name (he's not) - but because it gives people the opportunity to hear from a Conservative (or at least, a former one) a list of all the reasons Mr Cameron isn't fit for office. It puts him, frankly, on the back foot.
But will the Conservatives miss Mr Davies as an individual MP? Probably not.
I'm 
Comments
As a former Tory, I can only say
Spot on
Cameron is flim flam, chaff, nothing but wind and popular rhetoric. And let us not forget he models himself on Bliar
If Mr Davies has any honour, he will resign and force a by-election. The people of Grantham elected a Tory - it would be dishonourable of him to change sides without giving the electorate the chance to decide if they wish to keep him.
He won't be missed in the Tory party - nobody had ever heard of him until today!
I agree - I thought I would support the TOries, but basically Cameron only believes in things which he might get a vote on - he seems to have no core values and changes as the wind takes him.
Well he would never have made it to the lords as a Tory lets face it!
It is entirely up to Mr Davies if he wants to change party, but speaking as someone who voted for him as the candidate for the tory party in the last election, he should stand down from his seat with immediate effect.
If I had wanted to vote for Labour, I would have done so! I didnt, so I dont see why the People of Grantham should have a Labour MP.
If this had happened at any other time of the year I would welcome the decision... however it looks (from the outside) as though it has been planned to coincide with Brown taken over and deflect the attention away from Tory calls for a referendum!!!!
to be honest, he sounds like one of the old guard of Tories who was standing in the way of reform.
Cameron has said time and time again that the Conservatives will not rush into new ideas, and it seems this guy got fed up with waiting.
what i really can't understand is why he thinks he'll find policies more to his liking in the labour party.
Good riddance.
All these people that criticise Cameron for having 'no policies' make me fume - paticularly as so many of them are Tories. First, he has completely turned the party around in terms of its outlook which presumably takes time. Second, why tether yourself to policies when the next election could be as much a three years away. Third, if he is modelling himself on Blair then so much the better. Three Conservative general election victories in a row would be very good indeed.
Well, with this defection putting the Tories on the backfoot and the Lib Dems still in turmoil over Brown's offer to Ashdown, one wonders what's next?
Labour to cut and run to the country in the Autumn perhaps whilst Brown has the wind in his political sails?
I see nothing untoward with politicians (or anyone else) changing their political affiliations as either or both the parties change and their own views evovle. Ronald Reagan was at one time a Democrat. Winston Churchill was one time a Liberal MP. Other politicians moved from right to left.
But I think India has a good law that states if you change your affiliation while you are holding office, you must resign and cause a by-election so that you would need to win under that new affiliation. Particularly in a Parliamentary system, where voters are not just chosing an MP, they are attempting to elect a government or an opposition, when an MP switches affiliations, it is not just about his or her political transformation. He/she is also adding or subtracting from the government/oppositio benches. Adapting this law from India makes sense.
Mr. Davies should resign and run as Labour in a byelection, as should an MP go from Labour to Tory, or Liberal or any other party.
Spot on.
He has revealed effectively just how far Cameron models himself on Blair. The problem is, a Blair-esque leader is the last thing the country wants right now, or in the near future. As an antidote to spin, they want substance and vision. This is to be found - as Quentin Davies has stated - with Gordon Brown not David Cameron.
Good for him.
I am afraid that the more we see and hear of David Cameron the more fragile his character seems and this at a time when the conservative party is sorely in need of some depth in its leadership. Is the defection of Quentin Davies the begining of the end of the party's revival?
I voted for Mr Davies at the last election. I feel betrayed by his defection. I was a member of his constituency party until I left England in 2000.Any election campaign and subsequent constituency work is difficult and time consuming for any party member, whatever party they represent. I can only imagine how present members of Mr Davies constituency are feeling today. Mr Davies you should be ashamed of your behaviour. The honorable thing would have been to resign your seat and call a bi election. You may not wish to leave public life but I hope the public will ensure that you do and at the next election kick you out. Lets see if you have the courage to stand for re election in your current seat or if you will try a 'safer' option.
'He won't be missed in the Tory party - nobody had ever heard of him until today!'
.. thats true, but no one knows who anyone is in the Tory party anymore, or what they stand for. Well done Mr Davies for having the courage of your convictions.. something the Tories have been missing for a very very long time.
No doubt the turncoat has been promised a plum job and a safe Labour seat for the next election by Brown. This action is an utter disgrace - there needs to be a change of Commons rules so that if an MP does cross the floor, it automatically triggers a by-election where the MP has to stand under his new colours. After all, it is supposed to be a representative democracy.
Gordon Brown said he wanted to bring people in from other parties.
Perfectly timed slap in the face for David Cameron.Unfortunately it makes me like Brown even less. I voted 3 times for new Labour but I have had enough they have become arrogant. Time for a change.
The Tories unravel that little bit further; when it finally looked like they may be able to fashion themselves into something resembling a political party (recently looking more like a chimps tea party) they start to self implode again. With no policies, no real direction or vision and ultimately no leadership the Tories are exposed increasingly and shown for what they really are; PR based, spin driven & headline obsessed opportunists.
For Sure, Quentin Davis is no household name but lets face it - in a few years neither will "David Cameron"; just another also-ran like Hague, IDS & Michael "Something of the night" Howard.
I still find it incredibly hard to understand how a person can switch political parties. Surely your basic political principles govern which party you represent!? I know the gap has shrunk in the past decade. It seems to me that those who have switched in recent years have been the type of characters who crave attention but simply aren't good enough to gain it in a more professional manner anfd thus this gives them the spot light for five minutes and then they are politically finished..... forever!
In his resignation letter Quentin says about Cameron:
"Under your leadership the Conservative party appears to me to have ceased collectively to believe in anything, or to stand for anything. It has no bedrock. It exists on shifting sands. A sense of mission has been replaced by a PR agenda."
One must ask the question: what does Gordon Brown stand for? Nobody of course knows especially the electorate. One might better ask the question, what did Tony Blair stands for? Yes! He did stand for something.
What is not widely known is that Blair and perhaps Brown were much taken with the political philosophy of Isaiah Berlin. So much so that Blair wrote to him in 1997 asking for clarification on certain issues:
He wrote: "But there remains action, too, to devolve political power and to build a more egalitarian community."
Blair failed his aspirations and delivered quite the opposite. His negative liberty degenerated into positive liberty as predicted and climaxed after his seduction by the those masters of illusion the American neocons.
Quentin a Tory for thirty years has found a new cause, its positive liberty. Under a Stalinist Brown he can indulge himself and recapture the right wing direction he feels his party has lost.
Two ´óÏó´«Ã½ documentaries by Adam Curtis, "The Power of Nightmares" and "The Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom" soon to be released by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ on DVD are worth viewing.
If he had any guts he'd resign his seat. Will he be missed? Quentin who?
Whilst I will be glad to see the back of this rotten Labour party, rotten to the core, indeed. It is sad that the only decent alternative is a neutered Conservative party. Cameron is playing (and praying?)to a too powerful press rather than the Conservative's natural homeland, middle England the very people crying out for some strength and vision from the Tories. They should remember they won all of the 80s with strong ideas not PR stunts, it is not too late for Cameron to remember whom and what he represents. He will win the next election hugely if he can do so in time.
Defections provide short-term embarrassment for a party, but rarely do any long-term damage. Indeed, it is usually the MP who suffers, particularly from disgruntled constituents.
But I'm really not sure I can understand where Mr Davies stands on the political spectrum - he was able to be a Tory under Thatcher, Major, Hague, IDS and Howard, but now prefers Gordon Brown to David Cameron??? Very bizarre...
His summary of David Cameron is spot on - thank god someone in the party had the balls to point this out!!
What a creep! He knows he has no chance of winning if he resigns and stands again so he will simply keep his nose in the trough and carry on.
Davies is not a traitor, or even a turncoat, just a nebbish who is getting his 15 minutes of fame. It will be interesting to see how his constituents deal with him at the next election.
I can't imagine he will have any influence in Brown's government
As I live in his constituency I have first hand experience of the fact that he was only ever voted in because of his party connection. Not his status! For this reason and simply out of principal he should stand for re election.
I applaud Mr Davies defection from the Tory Party. A man with no sense of direction, is against the drive for equality for women, gays and ethnic minorities, a stanch supporter of Europe and the Iraq war and now, as I understand, a supporter of the ID card scheme. He has no place in the modern Conservative Party and agree that he should trigger a by-election to give his constituents a say on his defection.
Davies looks and sounds like a totally embittered buffoon. He claims in his letter to have no personal enmity toward Cameron, but his hatred of the man makes him sound like Simon Heffer on a particularly bad tempered day.
I hope he enjoyed getting his ego massaged by Gordon Brown. He won't find much friendship in the Labour Party - ask the last two non-entities who jumped ship - Woodward and Howarth - where are they now?
This man is quite right...Cameron is all style and no substance. But then, what does New Labour stand for apart from a few motherhood-and-apple-pie sentiments that no-one could disagree with?
This move will have done more damage to Cameron's credibility than it will be of any use to the Labour Party. It gives a useful insight into what the unknown quantities of the Tory Party think about their leader, which is seemingly what everybody else thinks,- that he is uninspiring, and without clear aims and perspective. As far as i'm concerned Labour have gained little... merely aquired an M.P that nobody has heard of...
Tony (1): Agreed, though it's doubtful Cameron will draw any meaning from this and actually grow a clue.
Neil (2):
"If Mr Davies has any honour, he will resign and force a by-election."
Politician? Honour? I'm missing the part where these two terms go together.
Davies says Cameron ' has no convictions' - I actually agree with him but where I differ is that Cameron seems to have no convictions on the following great issues - Immigration, crime and Europe.
Any Tory leader who is 'wishy washy' on these points should not be a Tory leader.
This is the reason thousands and thousands of hard working BRITISH people will be voting UKIP or the Party that dare not speak it's name
Very Interesting thoughts, a little biased though.
This must be one of those rarae occaisions when a rat deserts to a sinking ship.
As a current Tory, I am naturally disappointed that Quentin Davies has defected. Personally, I don't think anyone should be able to defect (in any direction) without having to resign and stand again at a by-election. But of course that's not going to happen.
I don't think Cameron is an empty vessel. He is an intelligent bloke, and I can't see him having got where he has without having something about him. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that it is high time he came out with some specific key policies, or at least a very clear sense of direction. Maybe not just now (Gordon Brown will have his honeymoon, so there's no point fighting against the tide), but certainly by the end of this year.
Presentation is important, but so are concrete policies. Cameron's got it about right on the former, he now needs to do the same with the latter (hopefully with more success than on the grammar schools debacle!)
"to write a letter to Mr Cameron - which reads, frankly, like it was written by Labour Party HQ, though we're assured it was written in its entirety by Mr Davies himself."
When Blair made his speech about a sneering feral, media. I think he had comments like this in mind. Whatever your views on the defection, he's clearly thought about it long and hard. These decisions are not taken lightly. I don't think it's becoming of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s chief political correspondent to suggest that his letter of resignation/defection was written for him, when there is no evidence for this.
If we want people to re-engage with politics, the politicians have clearly got to do their bit, but so have the media, and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ in particular. Cynicism is everywhere, but it's journalism that we need to see a bit more of.
I happen to live in the Stamford and Grantham constituency and I must say I am both surprised and impressed at Mr Davies decision. It will be good to see Labour influence in an area that has been Conservative since before I was born.
So what you're telling me is that he's leaving the party because they're obsessed with spin and defecting to New Labour?
Good heavens.
So Brown says we'll end the era of spin - and then starts up with a typical spin-y stunt of the A.Campbell vintage. As so often the case, a "brilliant" tactic that will backfire, methinks. A bit like the "cut" in income tax that in fact abolished the 10% rate and clobbered the low paid. Watch Davies getting a minor government role as a reward. As for "honour" ... don't hold your breath. This is tribal politics at its worst, alas.
It's emerging this evening that Quentin Davies' defection has nothing to do with policy but more to do with the fact that his local party had been thinking of de-selecting him as far back as January 2006.
Well correct me if I'm wrong, but the people of Grantham elected a PERSON not a party to represent them, as that is how our system of government works.
If that representative finds that the views of a different section of parliament are more in tune with what he stood for in the election, they are free to move with them.
And after, Mr Cameron wasn't even leader of the Tory party back at the election. No back then they had these things called policy's (many of which were not just daily made up sound bites to grab quick headlines ether)
goo on Mr Davies & perhaps this may cause a shock big enough to revive the opposition in this country, but sadly i doubt it.
Quentin Who?
The people of Grantham and Stamford definitely deserve a by-election, with Mr Davies standing for Labour (they won't get one). And quite honestly, this smacks of a PR stunt. His letter has Labour fingerprints all over it, and i'm sure the Government's loss is the Conservative Party's gain. OK, a bit of a knock to Cameron in that it creates a few bad headlines, but once again, it shows Brown up for what he is - a cynical, manipulative chancer. Cameron will bounce back, the Conservative Party is looking increasingly (at last) like a viable alternative to a horrible bunch of people currently running our country, and life moves on...
Let us assume that Mr. Davies is still not 100% Labour for the time being. The fact remains that Mr. Davies, as I have realised some time ago, is not happy with the way Cameron is contemplating to win the next election. Cameron is, as Mr. Davies explained very well, without any beliefs, without any tangeble policy that one might take serious to discuss, or some kind of a new idea that is not a copycat from Labour's policies! As I have said on many occasions, Cameron is rather fake, rather artificial, not a true blue conservative, and tries to please the less fortunate in society while at the same time he assures the middle class that he can do better then Labour.
As for the timing of Mr. Davies, well--Nick--come on man, what did you expect? Mr. Davies wants to harm Cameron as much as possible and for that reason his timing is perfect. Now watch Cameron tomorrow, discarding his months' of preparation to ask silly questions to try and belittle Blair and Brown during PM's questions!
I say to Cameron, Dave your time is up, and the ex Tories want a Blue conservative leader that comes up with a new agenda and ideas for the modern Britain without in any way copying New Labour!
Dave, your fakeness is backfiring!
Good riddance to bad rubbish I say. Quentin Davies, Quentin who? An unknown pro-European, pro-Iraqi war individual with a "conservative "label because he couldn't get elected under the label of his true party ,Labour. If this man had any shred of deceny and any concept opf morality he would resign his seat now and see what would happen if he put himself before the electorate as a SOCIALIST.
Quentin WHO?
Quentin Davies is probably the first of a number of thinking Tories who are about to desert the Boy David. His Europhile stance may make him some friends in New Labour. It would make him a lot more friends with the Liberal Democrats. Think about it, Quentin. You may have defected to the wrong party!
I think Davies is correct about one issue - there has been a surfeit of critisism from the Tory machine that has been as knee-jerk-reactionary as some of the Labour Party policies.
David Davis is the main culprit here who will take any opportunity to snub the government in the most ungracious way, whether they have a good idea or not. He should start a new party with Claire Short-of-sense - they are made for each other.
Cameron also has been suffering from this annoying political malaise, though less so. If one were being uncharitable one would suggest that in opposing absolutely everything they hope to distract people from their own inadequacies in the policy direction.
The fact that this is not new does not make the issue any less annoying to the average political observer - or worse, to the more important voter.
Brown seems less of the whining bully boy in this sense, however, and that may make him attractive to many who feel that they have something constructive to add. Assuming he stays that way. Didn't Cameron say he was moving away from yaa-boo politics?
This could be the start of something interesting. Or not.
Nobody
I think this all augurs well for Labour under Mr Brown. I'm more Conservative than Labour, but prefer a leader with principle than someone without. I think the electorate do too, so Mr Davies should resign and force a by election. He'd proabably win.
Gooodnight, sweet prince.
What a typically grand-standing, feudal old-fashioned Tory, Neil is, with his really resentful old-English Gentleman style, always wannabe superior and looking down with great "posh" disdain on the proletarian masses that happen not to be part of that great, feudal, very historic, but as such terribly outdated and now inconsequential Tory party.
An MP is elected for a parliament, as you say. However, I cannot see that the electorate has any basic right, as you put it, to sanction a defection immediately, as much as you cannot get rid of a government mid-term, even if you do not agree with them and feel they have gone for measures and policies that they were not elected on.
There comes a time when somebody gets the "7 Year Itch", remember Shawn Woodward, where is he now. I think that will be the same for Quentin Davies. In any case who cares? J.B.
What insight Quentin shows! I'm sure his public acknowledgement that David Cameron is not fit for national leadership, never mind leadership of the Tory Party,will resonate with the most people's suspicions and seriously undermine him. My hunch is that it might be time for other MPS in the conservative party to consider finding another leader with some more gravitas. Otherwise, they risk a thumping at the next election.
The word from his constituancy is that QD has been under threat of de-selection for at least two years and that things were coming to a head.
I somehow doubt that he has the necessary inner strength of his new convictions to resign his seat and fight the by-election under the Labour banner.
He used to be my MP, when Spalding and Stamford was the constituency. He was a joke as an MP and fortunately we now have the excellent John Hayes.
This strikes me as an opportunistic move by someone who has done nothing with his time in office and now wants to make a name for himself before he retires. It'll be good riddance at the next election.
If Gordon Brown has any sense, he won't celebrate this too much. Does he really want to laud someone who has just broken all of his election promises by switching sides?
I'd just like to say as a 6th form student in Grantham we met Mr Davies our MP. We found him very liberal, too liberal to be a conservative. For example he continually stated immigration between EU countries unrestricted is fine, and he would advocate it. Many of us walked out of that meeting confused as he was supposed to be representing the Conservative Party, and this was not fully clear. We suspected he may of been a liberal in disguise!
Furthermore, I think it does show Cameron to not be the right man. He doesnt believe in anything. He is an opportunist. I don't like him, and as a Tory, he is putting me off voting for them.
Tom Lawrence
When I voted at the last general election I voted for the person, because despite the fact that I did not particularly like the party, and could not stand the party leader - I thought the person was the best of those on offer.
The Conservative Party has been through a period of change and in some ways Gordon Brown's moral tone is more old conservative than David Cameron's.
Churchill was prepared to cross the floor, more than once, and therefore I think the Conservatives should think carefully about what they say about such people - they might just be insulting perhaps their greatest ever leader!
I notice Quentin Davis first became an MP in 1987, when Mr Thatcher was Conservative leader and PM. Presumably he was very comfortable with the policies of the Conservative party and its leader at that time? If so, what does he find so much to his liking in Gordon Brown and the Labour party of today?
What if Ken Clarke was to become leader of the Conservatives - will Mr Davies defect back to the Conservatives?
It seems as though these 'no mark' tories are all far keener on gaining personal exposure, than on reforming the tory party. frankly, davies is an irrelevance. who cares? the fact is, that for the tories to be re-elected, they need to stop this tendency to tear the party apart. the current issues (grammar schools, europe, etc.) are a distraction. cameron has a chance of being elected. that's a fact. no one cares about these issues, but they do need to be an effective opposition. and for that, cameron is their only hope... thatcher isn't coming back. get over it, or get used to decades of opposition...
Whatever the reasons for the defection,he has found a way to get in to Government without having the hassle of standing for election. Just like Brown got the top job.
T L
It comes as little surprise that many Conservative supporters are so out of touch that they have never heard of Mr Davies, as Neil admits. I belong to no party, but I have heard of him and seen him speak in the House; compared to many MPs he is quite well known.
Can I please have a little moan about the use of snide innuendo in Mr Robinson's original piece? Does he have any evidence that the Labour Party HQ were involved in drafting the resignation letter? If he has, please say so. If not, don't try to imply their involvement. It would be perfectly OK to say something like "Labour HQ could hardly have written a more damning critique of the Conservative leader themselves" - but that doesn't comply with the current fashion for 'clever' comment I suppose.
Nick,
I'm interested in the fact that you think this was drafted by Labour HQ.
Whilst some of the sentence have clearly been re-phrased (shorter, more media-friendly, such as "It has no bedrock. It exists on shifting sands. A sense of mission has been replaced by a PR agenda."), there are passages that could never have come out of that machine:
"For the first 19 years of my time in the House, in common I imagine with the great majority of my colleagues, it never occurred to me to leave the party, whatever its current vicissitudes."
That is not a New Labour sentence by any stretch!
More generally, I do not believe Gordon Brown is a particularly poor public speaker - quite the opposite. But I am of the opinion that the Labour Party have few (perhaps no) writers capable of writing cadences for an unmodulated oratorical style. The general quality of rhetoric has been underwhelming for several years now. The only decent speeches Blair has made in the last 12 months have been ones he quite clearly penned himself. My response to your point is that I believe Mr Davies wrote this, and someone a little more clumsy with language, but with a good sense of soundbite "tidied up" before it was released.
Regards.
That was an interesting letter by Quentin and, certainly, I can understand his frustration and desire to leave the Conservative Party. Personally, I feel the same way about living in Britain. If I could rip up my citizenship and leave on the next plane I would. Problem is, like most people, I'm not rich or famous enough to see that door swing open.
There's plenty of people worse of than us. If Quentin can apply a similar enthusiasm to giving power and opportunity for those at the real bottom, and the Conservatives can reflect on credibility and inclusiveness, some positive may come out of this. Not saying Parliament is going to turn into one big happy family but tomorrow is another day.
I've got work stuff to do. Been tearing my hair out all day but taking a step back, relaxing, and accumulating the small progress will pay off in the end. I guess, it's one of those wherever you go there you are things. Might be useful if some of the politicians took some of that on board. They'd be less stressed and that would be better for everyone.
Hey, hang on. Quentin's just created a vacancy. Can I have it?
MPs who change parties must be made by law to resign and force a by-election. If he retains his seat, so be it. But politicians who change parties are rarely heard of again. If they change sides once, they are capable of doing so again.
But to be fair, I can see why he did so. David Cameron is a lightweight politician who is trying to appeal to everyone, rather than coming out with robust policies.
If Gordon Brown goes for an early election, we might finally get a more mature and experienced William Hague back in command of the Conservative Party.
So he's defecting because Cameron is superficial? And Labour/Blair/Brown isn't?! As my local MP, he's been non-existent. Will we miss him? Probably not. Hope he's voted out of a job as soon as possible. In my opinion, he's been a complete waste of tax payer's money.
I thought Mr Davies was for the death penalty and against same sex partnerships which therefore makes new labour rather an odd choice. Still as my dad used to say "there's no fool like an old fool"
ps:I bet he'll get on famously with Dennis skinner and Hazel Blears.
Yes, Mr Davies was indeed elected as a Tory.
Unfortunately Davie Baby has now announced himself as the heir to Blair(hey, it rhymesville!), so as Gordon Brown hasn't, Mr Davies has decided he stands more chance of staying in public life under Gordon.
Wonder if people said the same about Winston Churchill when HE defected to the Liberals in 1900 and something-possibly!
So, Quentin accuses Cameron of being an opportunist and lacking principles - and then joins the Labour Party. What a laugh! Nick, if you have any old VHS tapes of when Labour were the Official Opposition perhaps you could pass them to Quentin so he can see how Labour perfected the art of opportunism and opposed just about everything - including the Lottery, the Falklands war and anti-terror legislation. Having said all that, his points about Cameron were pretty on the ball, but to defect is strange - very strange in fact. Perhaps it'll all come out in the fullness of time; such things usually do.
Of course this is bad for Cameron, both because it attacks him at his most vulnerable point (as a lightweight opportunist) and because he is a former frontbench spokesman.
I disagree with Nick that he will not be missed: the Tories are desperately in need of Euro moderates and those who will defend British interests on the international stage (Davies' point about William Hague's shameless opportunism is well made). Rightwingers will see this as a victory, and for centrist Tories it still feels as if Brown has control of the centre ground.
I can understand a new-age politician changing the flag under which he stands- such is the nature of todays politics, but a stalwart Tory?
Having read the letter and the criticisms levelled at 'Dave', why is Mr Davies not standing as an Independant, rather than allying himself with the the new order of the Labour party. Could it be that Mr Davies is really not so very different from the politicians of the Middle Ground he finds so offensive?
Mr Davies should resign.people voted for him as a coservative, not to jump ship and go to labour.There welcome to him. lets face it they wont be in power much longer anyway, come the next election he will be witout a seat anyway.so not a great loss to anyone.
We are in a third term Labour government aren't MPs meant to defect from Govt to Opposition at such times?
This is a Huge PR coup for Gordon Brown and as a die hard Labour voter some of the best news I've heard since Iraq and takes me back to 1997 when this kind of think was common place.
Maybe Gordon will reignite the hope and confidence of '97 been impressed so far.
As a member of the party I can honestly say hand on heart that he will not be missed and the labour party can have him. When we elected David Cameron as party leader we made a statement that if we were ever to get in to power again we would have to unite and reach out to new sections of the public and new policy ideas. we cannot achieve this with MP's being critical from the backbenchs. However I argee that Quentin Davies should do the right thing and resign and allow a bi election to take place and if he so badly wants to be a Labour MP then he should run as a Labour candiddate at the next election.
Speaking as someone with no party affiliation, I always find it a bit strange when someone defects from one party to another, even more so in this case where the MP appears to have nothing in common with his new party. I particularly like the passage in his letter "I have never done business with people who deliberately break contracts". But it's OK to be elected as a Conservative and then jump ship when you disagree with the elected leader of your party? Well he certainly seems to have chosen the right home - Gordon Brown won't call an election despite having no mandate to be PM, and I can't see Mr Davies resigning and fighting a by election despite the fact his consituents didn't vote for a Labour MP.
As a Lincolnshire voter I find it extraodinary that anyone can get a seat at Westminster and then change sides, either way. He was not elected as a Labour MP and should, like all previous traitors from any party, be automatically disqualified from the House. He was not elected as a Labour MP and that is all there is to it. Change the rules. The voters have been cheated again.
Mr Cameron has stated time and again that there will be clear polices for the tories when the policy groups diliver. Why in the country are we so impatiant that we want every thing now? Personally I'd rather vote for a party come election time that has well considerd, thought out and researched polices not one's made on the fly.
As a Grantham resident I am pretty sure Quentin knows this is political suicide. He should resign thou as he now certainly does not represent the wishes of the people of the area. The idea of the area being represented by a Labour MP is laughable.
"He won't be missed in the Tory party - nobody had ever heard of him until today!"
Does that mean another hundred Tories will defect too?
I haven't heard of them either!
I have just watched Newsnight with the man in question being 'Paxmanned', and found the whole thing rather amusing and enlightening. It confirmed to me that politicians spout one thing in the House of Commons, wait a few months, then spout something completely the opposite as it suits them.
Quentin has attacked Gordon's character several times, yet suddenly thinks he is the best thing since sliced bread.
As David Davies pointed out, the whole thing is a cheap stunt and bound to end in embarrassing disaster for Quentin.
The funniest thing about the 'debate' was the fact that David Davis couldn't keep a straight face throughout. I can see where he is coming from - the hypocrisy of Quentin Davies is as plain as the nose on his face.
So Quentin Davis, defects to labour, so he now stands for high taxes, more government, less control over our affairs due to european treaties and now he on the losing side, bad luck i say for labour.
Congratulations to Quentin for having the guts to speak out about the Emporer's new clothes - or lack of them
David Cameron has stripped the Conservative Party of all of its principles - so much so that nobody knows what it stands for anymore on any topic. In doing so, he has made the party unelectable
The quicker the other Tories near the top realize this, and replace him with someone more principled/less lightweight, the better.
The parliamentary Conservatives will certainly not miss him, but the people of Grantham and Stamford who elected him with a majority of well over seven thousand votes will rightly be disgusted.
Well I grew up in Quentin Davies constituency and must say this news came as quite a shock! Rural Lincolnshire is a traditional Tory fortress. It's difficult to even get a hold of a copy of the Guardian at my village Post Office in Thurlby! I fear Mr Davies may have sealed for himself an ignominious fate.
What I find astonishing is how easy it is for a politician that became an MP for a given party to suddenly change sides and join another party while keeping his seat in the House of Commons. What about the people who got him elected? They voted for him because he was a Conservative candidate. In a very arbitrary manner it alters the result of the 2005 election and the voters have no say whatsoever. At least there should be a by-election to confirm him as a Member of Parliament. If an individual during the count of the votes takes away the ballots that support one party and replaces them with ballots that support another party the said individual would most certainly be arrested, put on trial and sent to prison. The practice of changing sides without going through a by-election is usually accepted, but it is utterly undemocratic.
David Cameron's pursuit of the centre-ground has disillusioned me. I don't think Davies has betrayed the party. Rather, it is David Cameron himself that has betrayed and ultimately destroyed the very party that I proudly and enthusiastically joined a couple of years ago.
I have left the party since, and I'm glad I did. David Cameron's Conservative Party stands for nothing. It lacks conviction. Its principles are drifting.
So Tony, London: "Davies is flim flam, chaff, nothing but wind..." etc
And yet he had served as Tory shadow Defence Secretary and as Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary.
That certainly tells us quite a bit about the calibre of Tory front benches ....
Quentin has stepped off the life-raft and onto the Titanic.
In the short term it's bad news for Mr Cameron, but is it as good for Mr Brown as it appears?
I've spent the last 6 months in Australia and in the lead up to election time we've seen the Howard government, still ahead on the economy, fall way behind Labor in environmental issues. Mr Brown, like Mr Howard, is seen as behind the times on this issue so will a Tory sceptical of David Cameron's air tax be the best recruit?
Mr Cameron might be alienating the Tory right but if they are embraced by Labour then he might sweep a lot of the middle ground up in the process.
I disagree with those who say that his decision was "dishonorable." The constituency in question voted for Mr. Davies, not for the Conservative Party per se. If an individual MP has an honest change in opinion that needs to be reflected in a new political affiliation, then so be it. I'd support any MP to change parties if they truly thought it necessary and if his constituents do not like it, they can boot him out at the next general election.
The 'spin' continues, timed for press coverage during the days that Brown assumes control. No suprise here then?
We can of course expect radical new government and a change of course, this is because Brown has had no reference point with Blairs New Labour. Who am i kidding here?
For those interested in considered and concise comment - suggest the Philadelphia Inquirer - today 26th June - article on Blair / Brown - it was a good piece of commentary. Hope it can be accessed via the web.
Sorry Nick, you are drawn in again by New Smooze Labour. Let's hear more of Blairs legacy - maybe you can comment on the claims in the Inquirer. If accurate, in terms of poverty and taxation etc, they are quite damning.
PS. All that awaits in due course is the Knighthood for Mr Davis, on the cards now without doubt.....
Here we go again...an MP is elected to serve for one party by his constituency and then decides to jump sides! Can we please change the laws to ensure a by-election takes place in light of these actions? I would be furious if my MP took my vote so lightly by acting in such a disrespectful manner.
Mr Davies with his belief in transfering powers to Bruessels without giving the people of this country an opporunity to say if they wants this and his opposition to opposing the Big Brother nanny knows best attitudes of New Labour didn`t just put him at odds with his own party it also puts him at odds with the British people.
The Conservative Party will be richer for his defection and the country will be poorer for the fact he as gone all the way and retired from Parliament completly.
The question that as to be asked is how long will it be before its Lord Quentin Davies of Turncoat!
I think that David Cameron and the people he surrounds himself with are doing a very difficult job of renovating the Conservative party.
In my view, one of the reasons that the conservatives don't have solid policies and don't appear united are because the party is full of stubborn old-fashioned men who don't want to change their views to more modern thinking. This was in plain view during the Conservative leadership elections.
Thankfully one of them's just defected to Labour, hopefully to be replaced by a more forward thinking conservative in the next general election.
What I find depressing is what does this say about the Labour party under GB?
What is really reassuring is the knowledge that dear Quentin's reasons for jumping ship are no doubt entirely altruistic and honourable. Gordon surely wouldn't have had him if his motives were sordid avarice and careerism?! Hurrah!
In a completely honest political situation Mr Davies ought to resign. However we live in the real world and there have been many defections in the past where the MP has not resigned. In fact I can only think of one case (a defection when the social democrats were leaving labour in droves) where th MP did the honourable thing and resigned so precedent supports Mr Davies in sitting until the General election
Strange for Labour bury good news on such a busy news day: Jo Moore et al must be losing their touch, I wonder how Quentin feels about that episode, and Labour news management generally?
Intersting there are only 2 entries above this one.
Bit of a non event perhaps?
Sorry Nick. This is nought but a Westminster village story that has no resonance in the country at large. Quentin Davies was unknown to most 24 hours ago and will revert to the same status in about the same length of time.
All this does is confirm the view that most people have of our politicians as venal, self-interested and scheming.
As a local man and in Mr Davies constituency, I find the timing both poor and underhand, he is a has been and has never made it so for some limelight he teams up with Mr Brown.
The people of Grantham and Stamford voted for Mr Davies in good faith only for him to turn his back on the very people that allow him to have a job and who pay his wages!
In my view the actions of Mr Davies are of a lost sheep!!! (I am sure he knows all about sheep).
If every MP defected when the felt like it, the country wind grind to a stand still. There should be some requirement for MP's so that they can not change parties until the end of their term or they should stand down.
Mr Davies you should have done the honourable thing and stood down so that the Local people of Stamford and Grantham could have the choice of a new MP!!
Of course, all this has happened before and the cynical among you may think that it's a last-ditch attempt to gain a government position before retiring to the upper chamber, something that he wouldn't have achieved under the Conservatives. Surely Gordon isn't that desperate.
I agree that Mr Davies should stand down as MP for his constituency. It will prove his honourable intent and allow his constituents to vote for the man or the party. I wouldn't be surprised if he won again as a Labour candidate.
I think he came across extremely well last night on Newsnight, unlike the smirking, childish and bullying Alan Duncan. Alan Duncan proved that all the Tory Party can revert to in times of trouble is name calling and trying to attack the integrity of a career politician. Mr Duncan was a disgrace.
GOOD LUCK MR DAVIES IT MUST BE SO FRUSTRATING HAVING A LEADER WITH NO INTENTIONS OF PRODUCING POLICY. COME THE NEXT ELECTION THE BRITISH PUBLIC WON'T BE AS STUPID AS SOME ETONIANS THINK THEY ARE. MR CAMERON IS JUST A SHALLOW, PATRONISING EMPTY SUIT, THE TORIES SHOULD OF BACKED DAVID DAVIS. TAKE MY ADVICE FOLLOW QUENTIN HE KNOWS A GOOD THING WHEN HE SEES IT .
We are told that under Gordon Brown we will have a government more about substance than presentation and spin...
Yet at the first opportunity he decides to allow the resignation of a Tory on the eve of his coronation; depsite the fact they've been talking for weeks.
Welcome to the new world order which is going to be no different from the old one. The great push to win the next election. When are the Labour party going to govren rather than focus on winning the next election? They've been doing this for ten years and another three years of it is beyond the reasonable expectaitons of any of us.
Who was that smirking, giggling idiot that the Conservative Party put up on Newsnight last night?
If that's the alternative to Labour, God help us all!!
For those people who seem to be under the illusion that the residents of Grantham voted for a person, not a party... please wake up! If Davies had been an independent, that would indeed be the case - but I'm sure he ran his election campaign under the Tory banner, using Tory funds and with the assistance of the local Tory councillors / members et al. To then display utter contempt for his supporters and the electorate by crossing the floor says pretty much everything you need to know. If you feel that your principles have been compromised, fine - resign and stand for re-election. Some of the comments concerning Cameron may well proved to be right, but this type of thing further highlights the complete lack of regard that the Labour party have for the political process and how out of touch Parliament is with the public in general.
The defection by this rather unsavoury individual wouldn't matter a jot except that its strikes an increasingly strong chord with what most of us are thinking.
David Cameron is more concerned with hugging windmills and being ludicrously PC than addressing any of the issues most of us care about.
Tax? Crime? Immigration? Education for those of us who can't afford Eton?
Forget it. The defection we need is David Cameron to the Lib Dems where he is sorely needed and would fit perfectly. Move over Ming!
"Under your leadership the Conservative party appears to me to have ceased collectively to believe in anything, or to stand for anything.
It has no bedrock. It exists on shifting sands. A sense of mission has been replaced by a PR agenda."
Well, that's fair enough reason to leave the Tory party. But you do have to wonder which planet he's been living on if he thinks all that will be different when he joins the Labour party.
So the man who takes over as leader of the Labour Party and Government without contest entices an MP to swap sides. Then this MP refuses to submit himself to his electorate to confirm his mandate.Is this what GB meant by "the will of the people"?
Well, it seems Gordon is determined to over-ride the democratic process in ALL aspects of Government:
First we get an unelected PM
Next we get a request for an unelected Cabinet
Now we're getting unelected Labour MPs!!!
And judging by what I saw on Newsnight last night, it seems he'll go to any lengths to sustain his anti-democratic plan, even accusing ´óÏó´«Ã½ journalists of being Security Risks to get them bullied and manhandled by police to keep them away, scary or what! Maybe it's because he didn't have any of his sports Trophy's to dazzle and pacify them with as he did to you the other night, Nick.
Congratulations everybody, we've now officially arrived in Communist Britain.
Mr. Davies is also my local MP and I supported him due to his pro-European stance. However, his transfer is also a reflection of he increased authoritarianism within the Tory party and especially round here.
The local party rejected several very able (mostly longstanding) councillors at the May elections in favour of candidates more in line with "Citizen Dave's" view of the world. These people formed an Independent group and seized several seats at Parish and District level, several at the expenese of the remaining decent Tory councillors. The crime of the deselected was not to tow the party line , but to stand up for their constituents. Up at Grantham, the District party does not give a monkey's about the electors outside that town and imposes its will on the rest of us - equally well reflected in the County leader's comments.
So, well done, Mr. Davies - and you made Alan Duncan MP look a twit on Newsnight (granted that is not difficult). However, your transfer reflects something more important, but less obvious, than Nick and the London correspondents think.
If a Tory can defect across the floor of the house to the "Labour Party" it demonstrates just how right wing the Labour Party has become. There again, Labour hasn't been a "socialist" party in quite some time
"Esam wrote:
I disagree with those who say that his decision was "dishonorable." The constituency in question voted for Mr. Davies, not for the Conservative Party per se."
No - I voted for him because he was a Conservative candidate, and as such upheld conservative policies.
Given he's now a labour MP he no longer represents the reason I voted for him and therefore he should no longer hold the seat.
In order for the representation to remain democratic, there should be a by-election - if as you suggest people voted for Mr. Davies he'll comfortably win again, wouldn't he?
As a Lib-Dem for many years I would just like to thank Quentin Davies for not trying to inflict himself on the Lib-Dems.
I cannot imagine Gordon Brown will find him much more use than David Cameron did.
If you read John Majors Autobiography you will find that only 1 MP voted against his own (Tory) government on 26 February 1996 on the "Arms to Iraq" report debate.
Do I need to name him?
Didn't make it clear before the Leader of the House of Commons (or Lord Privy Seal to use the full title) is a Privy Council position (like Lord President of the Council) so despite the cabinet having resigned Jack Straw, although no longer a cabinet minister, stays in post (as does Baroness Amos) until he is replaced. The Queen would remain as Head of State and ultimately in charge (which she is even when a Prime Minister is in place, in theory she could dismiss Brown tomorrow) but Straw would lead the Commons, not as an acting Prime Minister or full Prime Minister but in the role he currently holds.
I would be interested to see a list of all the MP's that have defected over the last 20 years and how long they lasted in thier new party, and did they get any benefits or do anything worthwhile.
It would make interesting TV don't you think?
It seems to me the bitterness directed at Quentin Davies by Tory party members stems from the sick feeling that his description of David Cameron's failings is spot on.
PS. Dave is a nice chap. But I've always seen him as a dead-ringer physically and temperamentally to Officer Dibble. He'll be no match for Top Cat.
PPS. It is no crime to change your mind or indeed your principles.
I wish more people would do so.
"Didn't make it clear before the Leader of the House of Commons (or Lord Privy Seal to use the full title) is a Privy Council position (like Lord President of the Council) so despite the cabinet having resigned Jack Straw, although no longer a cabinet minister, stays in post (as does Baroness Amos) until he is replaced:" David Ashford
In fact Lord Privy Seal is a Cabinet post and a separate title from Leader of the House, they just happen to be held by the same person most of the time. The first to combine them in modern times was R. A. Butler in 1956.
On the subject of Quentin Davies - he was clearly a PR stunt by Brown. But it's great news for David Cameron, because it shows that his opponents are disloyal, treacherous and conniving, not to mention possible liars (the question of who wrote the note). So Cameron may be a slimeball, but if he plays his cards with his usual deftness, he will totally wrong-foot Gordon Brown, who is appointing nonentities and failures (Woodward, Hain, Harman, Smith, Browne) right and left!!!
When I stood in my school mock election as a Conservative, I sought the advice and guidance of Quentin Davies who is my local MP. I met him for celebratory drinks afterwards and held a great deal of respect for him. After his defection however, how can I hold any degree of respect for a man who publically commits treason - not only against those who have so faithfully supported his tenure in Parliament but also those who committed their single vote to him in the last election. I will certainly enthusiastically campaign against him next time around in Stamford.