Following the launch of Andrew Turner‘s re-election campaign this morning, he was interviewed by the BBC’s TV and radio journalists.
Looks like Cllr Whitehouse’s promise to the County Press for an “exclusive interview” was somewhat shot apart, after he also gave permission for the BBC to do two interviews. Not sure how that fits in with him blocking OnTheWight having an interview with AT today, specifically telling us, “I can’t go back on my word.”
BBC reports
James Ingham’s TV work went out this evening (see it on iPlayer) and the Jessica Parker’s radio work was aired on BBC Radio Solent this afternoon.
Happily she uploaded some of it, so you can hear her seeking more clear answers on some of the questions asked during the press conference.
Remarkable revelations
She teased some remarkable revelations from Andrew.
There’s no better way than actually listening to it (click on the play button below), but we know that some people don’t have audio on their computers, so have also picked out some of the highlights
Question index
This article is pretty long, so we’ve compiled a quick index, to aid navigation.
- Flipping second home
- Turner: “I can’t remember”
- Turner: “Don’t know why” in London more often
- Are you your own man?
- What’s going to happen with Carole?
- “I’m not going to resign … No matter what”
- Turner: “They don’t have the power to sack me”
- People don’t care about the expenses claimed
Flipping second home
In her edited interview above, Jessica references when Andrew Turner’s Newport home became designated as his second home (it was previously his main home) – on which £103,612 expenses were claimed between 2004-2010. She asked why the switch had happened.
He replied,
“I can’t answer that because you’re going into areas where I have lost what was happening. But I listened to the advice from the fees office, the fees office looked at where I was staying and they decided I need to accept that the appropriate place to make my second home was the Island.”
Turner: “I can’t remember”
Asked whether he was confident that he spent more nights in London than on the Island, Mr Turner replied,
“I can’t remember. I cannot remember what happened, but that is the obvious consequence.”
Jessica asked,
“Presumably other people around you can remember your movements, what’s their impression of where you were more often?”
Mr Turner replied,
“I’ve told you what was the consequence from speaking to the fees office.”
Turner: “Don’t know why” in London more often
Jessica asked why he was in London more often, he replied
“I don’t know”
Mr Turner said he became a member of the shadow cabinet briefly. Wikipedia lists Andrew Turner as one of the vice-chairman of campaigning for the Shadow Cabinet in 2005.
Are you your own man?
The BBC’s political correspondent for the Isle of Wight then went on to ask,
“Some of these letters that emerged over the last week from association members – one of the things they were talking about was that they felt that you are ‘in the thrall’ or dominated by Carole, who is your former partner, but still your Parliamentary aide. Are you your own man? Do you make your own decisions?”
He replied, “Yes,” and when Jessica asked, “100%?” he replied,
“Yah. Every member of Parliament will have one or two secretaries, who do that job and they will carry a good deal of weight – and I make the decisions.”
What’s going to happen with Carole?
Jessica then went on to ask,
“Carole is still working for you – although she’s left you, is that a comfortable thing for your election campaign? Are you comfortable with that arrangement?”
Mr Turner replied,
“Well she’s not going to work for me during the campaign – and she’s not allowed to be sacked at present – and I don’t suppose that will change. In other words, I have to continue to employ her and that is what I’m doing, but she’s taking a back seat in the visibility of what’s she’s doing.”
“You say ‘in the visibility’,” Jessica asks, adding, “but in actuality, is she doing as much as she ever was?”
Mr Turner confirmed,
“Well the idea is that she does more or less the same.”
“I’m not going to resign … No matter what”
Jessica next asked about the two Motions being put to the Executive of the Isle of Wight Conservative Association later this month, one calling for Andrew Turner to stand down as well as another (tabled by Cllr Stewart) calling for members to get behind him.
She asks,
“In the event that they do vote to call for you to stand down – and they’ve given you a deadline of Noon January 26th – Will you stand down?”
Mr Turner replies,
“I’m not going to resign.”
When asked by Jessica, “No matter what?”, he confirms
“No matter what.”
Turner: “They don’t have the power to sack me”
Going on to mention the potential of a Special General Meeting being called, she asked,
“If they then call a Special General Meeting of the wider membership – I know that’s not the procedure to de-selection you – but let’s say at that SGM, the majority of people vote in favour of your resignation – again, would you resign?”
After a pause, Mr Turner replies,
“No. They don’t have the power to sack me.”
Jessica asks whether it’s correct that he could be deselected by postal ballot.
Mr Turner confirms,
“That is correct – and I must emphasise the Party are absolutely behind me. They understand that this behaviour, from a very small number of people, is giving the impression of chaos. It’s not chaos.”
People don’t care about the expenses claimed
Asking what message he’d give to the wider public, to those people have read the most recent reports, Jessica asks, “What’s your message to them to say, ignore all that stuff, I’m actually the right guy for you.”
Mr Turner replies,
“More to the point, I don’t need to send that message, because they do ignore it. They ignore it. You know, the houses whom I’m knocked on, on Saturday, in Ryde, I don’t think it was raised. People aren’t worried about that.”
Jessica ends by asking,
“You don’t think people are still angry about the claims you made on your Newport house? You don’t think they care?”
Mr Turner replied,
“We dealt with that five years ago – and why should that be raised again now, because one or two people are trying to smear.”
