Local Tory chiefs in July warned David Cameron that his introduction of same sex marriage is causing a decline in Tory membership ahead of the next General Election.
Annual reports for some local associations showed an average drop of 10% across constituencies in 2013, at least 15 of which attributed the fall to gay marriage or unhappiness with national decisions. In Cameron’s own constituency of Witney, the number of association members dropped by 170 to 1,083.
Membership of the Conservative Party has almost halved since 2005. A poll in October 2013 showed that almost two-thirds of Tory councillors believe redefining marriage will be a vote loser at the next election.
Costing Tories more
The ComRes survey for BBC Sunday Politics showed that 63% of Conservative councillors believe legalising gay marriage will cost the Party more votes than it gains at the next election. That is compared with 18% who disagree and say the move is a vote winner.
