At first glance, Tim Montgomerie’s resignation from the Conservative Party is a story that is only of interest to the Westminster bubble – and even, then, only for an hour or so. But that the Times columnist and the founder of ConservativeHome has walked out of the party has big implications for the country.
As I’ve written before, Britain is on the cusp of a political first: for the first time in British history, the prime minister will be chosen not at a general election or by members of Parliament, but by party activists. If Labour’s current trajectory is replicated at a general election in 2020, that Prime Minister will be in office with a large majority, quite probably for a decade or a more. It is entirely plausible that Conservative party members will pick the next two prime ministers. Who they are matters a great deal.
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