NI Tories left with ‘tough decision’ after meeting leadership candidates

Conservatives in Northern Ireland have been left with a “very tough decision” after meeting the pair vying to be the party’s next leader.

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt travelled to the Culloden Hotel in the region to set out their stall to local party members in the region.

Gary Hynds, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in Northern Ireland, told PA he thinks members have been left with a lot to think about.

“It’s going to be a very tough decision, they were both very impressive, and their commitment to the party in Northern Ireland was very welcome as well. I thought the members will be very happy with that and people will be going home thinking a lot tonight and the days ahead in terms of who they will support,” he said.

“I think it is going to be closer than people maybe think.

“Boris has been the front runner from the start, but Jeremy is performing very well and certainly closing the gap and it is going to be very interesting to see who wins.”

Some were already clear in their mind about who they would vote for, including Frank Shivers of the North Down branch, who said it is “time for a “maverick”.

“I was going in there voting for Boris and I have been voting for Boris for a while, but I thought that Jeremy came across very credible, a safe pair of hands,” he said.

“But unfortunately in the times we are at, we have had a safe pair of hands with Theresa May who I thought was an excellent Prime Minister treated very badly by the EU, Westminster and parts of her own party.

“So we need a maverick, we need someone with a bit of charisma, a bit of character and someone who is going to deliver for the people of the United Kingdom.”

Angela Dickinson, from Larne, was also backing Mr Johnson.

“I thought they were both good, Jeremy is very polished and I do like a lot about what he said. But from the point of view of actually taking us over the line and getting us out of the EU simply because we have got other things to do, I thought Boris did better,” she said.

“I have known Boris for some time, I watched him as London mayor when I was in London and he was impressive there. He did things that other people basically couldn’t have done.

“The best thing about Boris is his optimism, he always thinks we can achieve things and I feel that together we can do that.”

However, Mark Hamilton, from North Down, was left less impressed by Mr Johnson.

“I went in veering towards Boris, I thought I’d be convinced because he is well known for being a good speaker, but I went in and he was just another pretty normal speaker,” he said.

“I though a lot of what he said had a lot of fluff in it, Jeremy Hunt set out a lot more clear plans in terms of the economy after Brexit – and I think he represents more the country I want to be in after Brexit.”

Margaret McVeigh, from Belfast, said she was planning to vote for Mr Hunt.

“I came with ideas about who I was going to vote for but I was prepared to change my mind if my mind could be changed by the two people speaking,” she said.

“I think today I haven’t changed my mind, I am still going to vote for Jeremy. He was the better of the two speakers today, I think he answered the questions head on, he detailed about what he was planning to do in his four points and generally responded to questions, I thought, very very well.

“I thought Boris, it was not his best effort, I lived in London for 16 years and he was a very entertaining speaker, in fact I campaigned for him when he was going for mayor of London.

“But today he was just a bit too much bluster and blag for my liking.”