Conservative HQ to be set up in Leeds to show it cares about the red wall and divide - but why Leeds?

[chomalungma]

Yes - Leeds does have some Tory MPs

None of them changed in the election.
Part of Leeds has been left behind - but as a whole Leeds is a major city that's doing very well.

There are plenty of smaller towns in the North where people went to the Conservatives.

So AIBU to think that CCHQ should go to one of those places?

Unless CCHQ have a complete misunderstanding of the North and they just wanted a major city with all the art, culture, restaurants, transport links and facilities that they expect in a major city?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54397171

@bettsbattenburg

Orgreave would be a perfect place, they'd be able to get in touch with the views of the local electorate easily.

it would be pretty direct communication!

Leeds could have been chosen for all sorts of reasons- perhaps its nearer to Dominic Cummings' family than Manchester is? Or because Ed Balls former seat in the area is highly prized?

If they really gave a toss about social divide they'd have set up in Bradford.

@nosswith

Leeds could have been chosen for all sorts of reasons- perhaps its nearer to Dominic Cummings' family than Manchester is? Or because Ed Balls former seat in the area is highly prized?

Heh. Manchester really would be a heroically stupid idea for them though. The City of Manchester, which is inevitably where they would want to be based, is very strong Labour territory and vastly anti-Tory. The natives would get restless.

Leeds is pretty central east-west. Obviously it's quite southern geographically but in the middle of the largest swathe of northern population density along the M62. It's probably hard to find somewhere better to reach eg both Liverpool and Newcastle from?

The Tories think the north starts at Manchester and ends in Leeds.

I suppose a lot of Northern cities aren't really Conservative.
Get outside of them and you see the 'left behind' parts.

But they want a city instead of a town.

Because there are other parts of the North that did return new Conservative MPs and aren't doing as well as Leeds is which could benefit from CCHQ going there..

The north were the useful idiots to make sure Brexit got done. Now they've served their purpose. As if the Tories care about Workington or Grimsby.

Obviously it's quite southern geographically but in the middle of the largest swathe of northern population density along the M62

They will get to appreciate the excellent transport infrastructure that we call the M62 and the trans-Pennine route as well as getting up to Teesside and Newcastle area.

grin it would be pretty direct communication!

The method of delivery would potentially be quick and provide them with resources to build a new garden wall.

@chomalungma

I suppose a lot of Northern cities aren't really Conservative. Get outside of them and you see the 'left behind' parts.

But they want a city instead of a town.

Most northern cities aren't Conservative no, they're mostly Labour. The north of England itself is actually still majority Labour, not that you'd think it from some of the coverage.

We can, I think, divide the northern Conservative seats into three broad groups. There are some historically Conservative seats in very affluent areas like Tatton, Altrincham and Sale West etc. This is exactly what you'd expect. There are some that tend to be weathervanes like Bury South, so they tend to change hands depending on how the parties are doing nationally. And then the ones that went newly blue last year who don't fit into either of those categories, most of which were Brexit related.

@chomalungma

Obviously it's quite southern geographically but in the middle of the largest swathe of northern population density along the M62

They will get to appreciate the excellent transport infrastructure that we call the M62 and the trans-Pennine route as well as getting up to Teesside and Newcastle area.

Yeah, but if they went for a more central location in the north they'd probably be somewhere like swaledale.

The whole of North Yorkshire is Conservative apart from York Central, though. I think the narrative about Yorkshire being dyed-in-the-wool Labour is pretty selective.

I guess they could have gone for Harrogate but the train service there is shite, and it's going to be hard enough to persuade most of them to consider venturing to The North. Leeds has Harvey Nicks and nice restaurants and a legal prostitution zone - what more could your average Tory MP wish for?

I guess as Leeds is a major city

And they are already thinking about the next election they want to keep the newly fired red seat to blue to stay blue. Maybe they have listened to all those voters who have said for years and years government has ignored us

Yep agree @JimmyJabs

Those towns won't stay Tory though. It was a Brexit election. My mum and dad are in an area of Huddersfield that voted Conservative in 2019 but was Labour before that.

@chomalungma

Obviously it's quite southern geographically but in the middle of the largest swathe of northern population density along the M62

They will get to appreciate the excellent transport infrastructure that we call the M62 and the trans-Pennine route as well as getting up to Teesside and Newcastle area.

Ah - a positive. They won't be able to do too much damage stuck in tail backs on the M62.

@JimmyJabs

The whole of North Yorkshire is Conservative apart from York Central, though. I think the narrative about Yorkshire being dyed-in-the-wool Labour is pretty selective.

I guess they could have gone for Harrogate but the train service there is shite, and it's going to be hard enough to persuade most of them to consider venturing to The North. Leeds has Harvey Nicks and nice restaurants and a legal prostitution zone - what more could your average Tory MP wish for?

Harrogate is about as far from being a 'red wall' town as you could imagine - there would be zero political point setting up shop there or York, surely?

It was a Tory council for a while until this 2019. It has some massive Tory stronghold suburbs....I lived in one.

Wakefield would be a better shout....but it’s not as nice as Leeds 😂.

Ah - a positive. They won't be able to do too much damage stuck in tail backs on the M62.

An advance on my swaledale thought... go for the centre of the whole country, Forest of Bowland.

So they can get down to London quickly and it doesn't have a high profile labour mayor like Manchester.

It's a stunt, all the real stuff will still happen in London.

Harrogate is about as far from being a 'red wall' town as you could imagine - there would be zero political point setting up shop there or York, surely

CCHQ in Harrogate would send the wrong message to left behind Northern voters.

Definitely nowhere with a Betty's!

Isn't it a second HQ, so they're staying in London but will shove a few up in Leeds to pretend they care?

Yeah well I don't even think the new Wakefield MP lives in Yorkshire here yet so not holding my breath!
Leeds has very nice expensive parts they can live in. The North is tory land already.
They wouldn't actually want to live in the parts of Leeds that didn't vote tory or the towns that actually switched.
They are also after turning the council again. They got a coalition with lib dems at one stage and were in charge for a few years. Thankfully back to labour now who actually try to improve lives in the deprived areas.
They will be able to zip up and down in first class to london is less than 2hrs. No great commitment really!