Malcolm Grimston has represented West Hill as an Independent for 12 years. Yesterday morning his campaign for another term received unexpected assistance.
The West Hill Conservatives distributed a leaflet urging voters to back Charlie Drakesmith and Daniel Ghossain and… him. Not Madeline Woolf, their third candidate.
“A vote for anyone other than the two Local Conservative candidates Charlie Drakesmith and Daniel Ghossain plus the Independent,” the leaflet explained, “means we will get another 4 years of a failing Labour Council.”
It’s a mark of quite how dominant a figure Grimston is that a political party is willing to throw its own candidate under the bus to grant him their endorsement. In the last election, Grimston won 66% of the vote – 26% more than the next candidate and 37% more than his new backers. He’s going nowhere.
The leaflet reminds voters they have three votes and should “use them ALL!” Make sure you don’t forget to put a cross in the box next to our competition.
As for Grimston, he is somewhat amused by the whole thing. “The Conservatives in West Hill are now campaigning for me against one of their own candidates,” he told Putney.news. The unexpected support has left him with one dilemma however. “I’m wondering if I have to declare this leaflet in my election expenses!”
