CONSERVATIVE PARTY MEMBERSHIP

That this House notes the view of John Stafford, a member of the Conservative National Union Executive, that the membership of the Conservative Party is declining at a rate of approximately 60,000 each year; notes that during the party conference this year the Conservative Party's own Charter Movement accused Conservative Central Office of not telling the truth about its membership figures, claiming the real membership figure was less than 300,000; further notes that many individual constituency associations have fewer than 100 members; expresses concern that the Minister without Portfolio continues to claim in the face of this overwhelming evidence that the Conservative Party's membership is rising; and looks forward to the day when he and the Prime Minister will be released from the burdens of office so that they may spend more time addressing the terminal decline of the Conservative Party.