Thread by @SurreyHeathLDs

News reaching us that @michaelgove is taking this weekend to consider his political future. Unsure whether he will stand at the next #GeneralElection Thread 🧵

1. Michael’s @Surreyheath Council controlled by @Conservatives fell to the @LibDems leaving only 6 Tories on the council! @michaelgove didn’t attend the count.

2. Civil war has broken out in Michael Gove’s local @Conservatives association. The already small number of activists they had are livid with his lack of leadership and toxic brand. Membership cards are being cut up in disgust.

3. @SurreyHeathLDs repeatedly tied the fortunes and beliefs of local Tories to the toxicity of Michael Gove in literature and on the doorstep. This strategy was picked up by @pollytoynbee and @Geri_E_L_Scott in their recent articles. It worked!

4. Michael will face off against @AlPinkerton again at the next General. Unlike Michael Gove, Alasdair is well liked by everyone he meets, lives in Surrey Heath and has a functioning moral compass. He is the antithesis of Gove and Surrey Heath residents want Alasdair as their MP.

5. Campaign Infrastructure - Michael Gove’s Tories demonstrated during the local elections that they don’t know how to campaign. Their literature was poor, canvassing nonexistent and their use of data absent. They spent a lot of £ targeting supporters who had already left them.

6. Membership - as Michael Gove’s local party membership is dwindling the Surrey Heath @LibDems membership buoyed by electoral success and clear leadership from @AlPinkerton is soaring.

7. Timing - we know a General Election has to be called by Jan 2025. Most likely to be May or Oct 2024. Momentum for @LibDems in Surrey Heath will carry through til then. In these local elections we achieved 51% vote share.

In summary @michaelgove may be a stain on Surrey Heath and our country but he is not stupid. He knows the game is up for him politically, it’s now a question of how he manages his exit with grace. #GetGoveGone