One in three Tories have abandoned David Cameron: New figures reveal Conservatives have fewer signed-up supporters than Labour

RSS Feed

One in three Tories have abandoned David Cameron: New figures reveal Conservatives have fewer signed-up supporters than Labour

July 6th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

By
Daniel Martin

PUBLISHED:

19:17 EST, 5 July 2012

|

UPDATED:

20:21 EST, 5 July 2012

Losing supporters: The Conservatives now have fewer signed-up supporters than Labour and have lost 81,000 members since David Cameron became leader

Losing supporters: The Conservatives have lost 81,000 members since David Cameron became leader

Almost a third of party members have quit the Tories since David Cameron became leader.

For only the second time in history, the Conservatives have fewer signed-up supporters than Labour.

The membership roster stands at 177,000 – down 81,000 from the 258,000 Mr Cameron inherited in 2005.

Over the same period, Labour’s membership has fallen by only 4,000 to 194,000, according to a report from the House of Commons library.

The study is ammunition for those on the Tory right who believe traditional supporters are being turned off by the Prime Minister’s policies.

It is the first time official figures from each party have shown Labour in front. Labour led briefly in 1997, based on estimates only.

The Lib Dems are trailing on 65,000, which is 8,000 down on 2005.

Membership of the three main parties – at 1.1 per cent of the electorate – is at its lowest level ever.

In 1983 – the era of Margaret Thatcher and Michael Foot – the figure was 3.8 per cent.

In 1965, when Harold Wilson and Edward Heath led the big two parties, they were backed by a combined 10 per cent of voters.

The report suggested the latest figures, which are for 2010, were so low because the mass media now effectively delivers party messages.

It added: ‘Funds gathered from wealthy donors and the state make parties less dependent on individual members’ subscriptions and small donations. Parties may even see a vocal membership as an electoral liability.’

Falling numbers: Membership of the three main parties is at its lowest level ever

Membership of smaller parties such as UKIP, the Greens, the BNP and the Scottish National Party has risen since 2005.

The National Trust, the RSPB and similar organisations have also become more popular, suggesting that people like to get involved, just in a non-political way.

The National Trust has 3.8million supporters, up from about 300,000 in 1971.

Only Poland and Latvia have lower political participation rates. Party membership is declining across Europe except for Greece and Spain, which had dictatorships until the 1970s.

A Tory spokesman said she did not accept the report and its conclusions were ‘total nonsense’.

‘Party engagement continues to increase through our Friends of the Party scheme, which currently stands at more than 500,000 registered individuals,’ she added.