Aberdeenshire Tory civil war reaches breaking point

The Herald Scotland

3 days ago

She became a Tory party agent when she was 19, moved to London and worked for Theresa May for nine years.
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When she moved to Scotland she became the party's North East area manager and the agent for Douglas Ross. In 2007, she was elected to Aberdeenshire Council, eventually leading the Tory led administration.
Now, she's one of a growing band of independents in the authority.
Her shock resignation last week follows months of drama.
She had been under pressure since a colleague leaked a screengrab of a WhatsApp message in which she called her fellow Tory councillors 'f****** b*******s' to the press.
The situation was not helped when her husband, Steve, allegedly told a grandmother to 'p**s off' at a nursery protest.
Mrs Owen denied her husband had sworn, telling the Press and Journal that the confrontation was sparked when the protesting pensioner 'violently shook a tambourine' at them.
There was also a 'horrible' insult about a councillor from another party in a separate group chat.
Details of exactly what Cllr Owen said remain private, but her apology was public. She told her rival they had every right to feel 'upset, angry and disgusted' at her 'callous and insensitive' comment.
'I want to sincerely apologise,' Cllr Owen wrote, calling the outburst a 'complete lapse in judgment' that did not reflect her true values or respect for the colleague. 'I do deeply regret this, and I am so very sorry,' she added.
She said she made the decision to resign on Wednesday after receiving an email from a Tory colleague.
It is not clear what was said — but it was the final straw.
Douglas Ross and Gillian Owen (Image: Facebook) 'That finished me off. And I thought, now I'm not doing this anymore. I've just decided that the time had come for us to part ways, sadly. But now I'm just going to move on. That's what I want to try and do.'
Ms Owen insists she is not defecting to Reform UK.
'I'm not crossing the floor or joining another party. People elected me as a Conservative, and I respect that. But judging by the emails I've had, some people might support me more now that I'm not in the party. I want to make it clear I'm not joining Reform — I've no intention of doing that.'
That makes her an oddity among ex-Tory councillors in the North East, where five of her former colleagues are now in Nigel Farage's party.
Former Aberdeenshire Council chief Mark Findlater and Mearns councillor Laurie Carnie joined last year. Ellon's John Crawley and East Garioch's Dominic Lonchay soon followed. Lauren Knight made the switch just two weeks ago.
In fact, of the dozen ex-Tory councillors in Reform's ranks Scotland-wide, more than a third are in Aberdeenshire.
There are some Reform-adjacent former Tories in the authority too. Robbie Withey quit the party to sit as an independent but is a supporter of Reform.
Is this just Aberdeenshire — or a glimpse of the brutal civil war that could erupt within Tory ranks across Scotland as the threat from Reform looms larger?
Nigel Farage's party has a strong ground game in the North East, particularly around Fraserburgh, where they are winning over disgruntled Conservatives and unhappy SNP voters.
Last week's large-scale MRP poll by YouGov had them winning their highest vote share in Scotland in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency, second behind the SNP.
The poll showed them 10 points ahead of the Tories in a seat which Douglas Ross lost by just 942 votes at last year's election.
The same poll had Reform winning three seats at the next general election, and coming second in a slew of others.
How do the Tories tackle this insurgency? Well, if Aberdeenshire is any guide, they will be hoping to fall back on the constitution.
Last month, Ms Owen announced she was standing down as leader of the council's ruling Tory, LibDem and independent coalition, triggering a vote for new joint leaders.
The SNP nominated Gwyneth Petrie for leader. Although she was defeated by 36 votes to 28, the split with the Tories is now so bitter that on Thursday the five Reform councillors backed the independence supporting councillor from Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford.
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The Scottish Tories were cock-a-hoop.
North East Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden was almost floating. 'Nigel Farage has already said he would be happy to let the SNP into power. Now we know for sure Reform candidates will vote for the Nationalists, while the Conservatives will keep the SNP out.'
Following the vote, Reform councillor Laurie Carnie defended the support for John Swinney's party, telling local press: 'Obviously we're Unionists, but we just don't agree with the way the administration has conducted itself.'
Gillian Owen's departure may seem like a local spat. Yet it is hard not to see in it something larger: a party fraying at the edges, struggling to hold the line as old loyalties snap and new alliances form.