Conservative group chairman 'destroyed' by BBC interview
The people of Britain are currently heading to the polls as the UK conducts its general election.
As with any election race, there have a number of gaffes and upsets along the way.
In the run up to voting, the BBC's Daily Politics programme on Tuesday cast its spotlight on the Bow Group.
Described as the UK's oldest conservative think tank, it has several former Conservative Party members as its patrons.
The organisation had published a paper calling on some supporters to vote for rivals UK Independence Party, commonly known as Ukip.
In a 10-minute interview, Daily Politics host Andrew Neil took Bow Group chairman Ben Harris-Quinney to task and created what could be described as a TV meltdown.
After revealing that that his interviewee was no longer a member of the Conservative party and labeling him "a Walter Mitty character", Neil questioned Harris-Quinney over his membership status of the Madrid branch of Conservatives Abroad.
This triggered an exasperated Harris-Quinney to exclaim: "I am the president!"
You can watch the full interview here:
Neil's dismantling of Harris-Quinney was succinctly summed up by one of his studio guests – former Conservative minister and Bow Group patron – Lord Heseltine.
"Well, I think you destroyed him," he said.
Harris-Quinney, clearly nursing a bruised ego, later tweeted:
However, despite his best efforts at damage control, Harris-Quinney is feeling the ramifications from his controversial paper and subsequent television outburst.
The Spectator magazine reported that Harris-Quinney's name had been removed from the Conservatives Abroad Madrid page – the same one he tweeted about – while several Bow Group patrons including Lord Heseltine have released a joint statement which reads: "As Patrons of the Bow Group we believe that this country’s best interests are served by voting Conservative in all situations. Ben Harris-Quinney does not speak for us or represent our views."
Sources: BBC via The Independent, The Spectator
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