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'Boris is a performer': the view from Tory members at Exeter 'He's more thoughtful': Hunt wins friends at Exeter Tory hustings
(about 3 hours later)
It would be going too far to compare the queue for the Tory leadership hustings in Exeter to those that form outside Wimbledon or Glastonbury at this time of year. Richard Norman had got up early to make sure of his car parking spot and was first in the queue for the Exeter Tory leadership hustings, the latest round in the battle between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt for the hearts, minds and votes of the party faithful.
But Richard Norman was there at 8am – three hours before the start time – to secure a spot at the head of the line outside Sandy Park, the Exeter Chiefs’ rugby stadium and conference centre. Resplendent in a Royal British Legion jacket, Norman, 75, took his place at the Sandy Park conference centre neutral but thinking Johnson was probably his man. He left feeling differently.
“I thought the car park would be jam-packed,” said Norman, who is a Chiefs fan and was delighted to find that, for once, the parking was free. “I’m going to support Jeremy Hunt,” said Norman, who is from east Devon. “He’s a much more thoughtful guy and I believe that will be better for the country. I’m glad I came.”
He was wearing a “Has to be Hunt” badge but said that, actually, he was neutral. “I’m here to listen to both.” At the other end of the age scale, Hunt also managed to woo 17-year-old students Alex Hall and Alecia Mason, from Torbay. “I was leaning towards Boris at the start,” said Hall. “But I was taking notes and found myself writing less when it was Jeremy Hunt’s turn because I was fixated on what he was saying. Boris has the personality but Hunt seems more about getting on with the job.”
It was striking how many people entering the Exeter suite were wearing badges supporting both Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson. Mason agreed. “I don’t think Johnson is willing to change,” she said. “It’s clear Jeremy will sculpt his views and compromise.”
Stuart Bird, a retired chemist and teacher who is now a cathedral guide, was one of these, though he said he might remove one at the end. It was striking how many people entering the conference centre next to Exeter Chiefs’ rugby pitch on Friday were wearing badges supporting both candidates.
He had watched Thursday night’s hustings in Bournemouth from afar. “Boris looked more perky compared to the previous week when he had that trouble in his flat. What a turmoil! That could only happen to Boris.” Jo McCready, a 48-year-old IT worker from Bristol, was also undecided on the way in. As she left she said: “I think I’m leaning towards Jeremy. He seems more grounded; he does have a Brexit plan – bringing factions of the Conservatives together and the DUP. You don’t hear that from Boris, I don’t know what Boris’s plan is. Jeremy has fact and detail.”
Was he worried about Johnson’s character? “If he was running the country I’d be more worried. But this is about who is the best man to get us out of Europe in the smoothest way possible.” But after that he does have to run the country, probably? The men did not go head-to-head but addressed the room and took questions separately. Johnson went first and reminded people that he had been raised on a Devon farm. Revelations were few and when asked to tell the audience something they didn’t know about him, Johnson said he weighed fifteen and half stone. Questioned over what failings he had learned from when a minister, he said he had been mistaken to think he could forge better relations with Russia.
“He’ll have a hard job, but he’s got good people around him,” Bird said. “People like IDS [Iain Duncan Smith] who know what leadership is about. I’m sure Jeremy would help Boris and the other way round.” One member asked if he was too “frit” to take on Hunt in more television debates. He said two was “more than enough”. He would not commit to including Hunt in a future cabinet if he won.
As at Bournemouth, the vast majority of the audience were middle-aged or older and white. Floral dresses and blazers were everywhere. Hunt, when his turn came, told the audience he had lived in Devon for two years when his naval officer father was posted there but accepted he was a “grockle” - local slang for holidaymakers and other incomers.
Among the younger ones was Jo McCready, a 48-year-old IT worker from Bristol. She too was undecided. “They both have very good traits. At the moment I’m leaning towards Hunt because of policies such as corporation tax. But the personality is Boris. I want to hear from them both.” Asked whether character mattered – an invitation to criticise Johnson’s – he replied: “Of course character matters,” but he said private life should not be part of that.
A gang of excited children arrived but they turned out to be Hunt family members, kitted out in Hunt T-shirts, and found seats in the front row. Hunt said there should be more head-to-head debates before Tories receive their ballot papers this time next week. Hunt said many would vote by return – that was what Tories did – before the next TV head-to-head. On which failing he had learned from, he cited the junior doctors’ strike when he was health secretary. Unlike Johnson, Hunt said he would love to have his opponent in his cabinet, and he gave a strong hint that if he lost he would be keen to remain foreign secretary.
Sue, from near Totnes in Devon, was another undecided voter. “Boris is a performer. He did a good job as mayor of London. I’m not sure he can deliver on what he promises. I’m here so I can make an informed choice.” The standing ovation at the end of Hunt’s half of the hustings was slightly larger than Johnson’s – though that might have been because he went second and people were anxious to stretch their legs.
Hunt clearly made new friends in Exeter, and in Bournemouth the night before, but the Johnson loyalists were still confident.
Gavin Donovan, who lives in a village just outside Exeter and works in property, said his mind had not been changed. “I thought Boris was particularly great – energetic and fired up and ready to take on the mantle. There are no reservations about his character for me. I love his positivity.”
Conservative leadershipConservative leadership
ConservativesConservatives
Boris JohnsonBoris Johnson
Jeremy HuntJeremy Hunt
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