Aldridge-Brownhills MP is urged to step aside
A fed-up councillor has urged Wendy Morton MP to do the ‘honourable thing’ and not seek re-selection for her Aldridge-Brownhills parliamentary seat.
Councillor Suky Samra, who represents Streetly in the constituency said Mrs Morton had reneged on promises she made back in 2015.
A selection meeting is to be held on Saturday but Councillor Samra said there were more than 100 members prepared to put their names to a ‘no-confidence’ vote against her.
Councillor Samra said he had backed her when she sought to replace long-serving Aldridge Brownhills MP Sir Richard Shepherd back in 2015 but claims she has failed to put the interests of her constituents ahead of her own position in the Conservative Party.
And he also claimed, back in 2015, he and other members of the branch were unaware of her past in Richmond where she quit as a councillor after being one of five elected members embroiled in an alleged bullying row.
They were found guilty of bullying two officers by an investigation commissioned by Richmondshire District Council, but were later cleared by the Standards Board for England.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted Mrs Morton who is yet to respond to the his comments.
Councillor Samra said: “It is time for Wendy to do the honourable thing and move aside and let a new local candidate be selected to serve the residents.
“Wendy had reneged on many promises during her seven year tenure; I remember her selection meeting in 2015 at which she said she was a Brexiteer, yet she voted and promoted remain.
“She said she would permanently relocate from Yorkshire to Aldridge; yes she has a flat, but we are lucky if she spends half a day in the constituency.
“Wendy in her interview promised that she would follow in the footsteps of the late Sir Richard Shepherd, and serve the people and residents of Aldridge Brownhills to her entirety and she was not interested in becoming a minister or working for the government.
“This as we well know has never been the case and Wendy craves power, as you can see with the jobs she has held in Government.
“Members were totally unaware of her past, that she was a councillor in Richmond and had to resign due to ‘bullying’ and had they known he is almost certain that she would not have been selected in 2015.
“She only came to Aldridge after she was rejected by her own constituency and Rishi Sunak was selected instead of her.”
He added: “Wendy was a very divisive person on the doorstep and she is causing long lasting damage locally to the Conservative party every day she remains in post.
“You only have to look at her social media posts and the comments and see how unpopular she is.
“Turning up at events for photos was not what residents wanted from their MP and she had held the people of Aldridge Brownhills in contempt.
“My views are shared by many members and that over 100 would be prepared to put a no confidence vote in Mrs Morton if she did not do the honourable thing and go.”
Councillor Samra was also critical of the timing of the selection meeting – on a Saturday during half term – and urged the 22 members on the panel to also ‘do the right thing’.
