Radio presenter Iain Dale has pulled out of the race to become the Conservative candidate for Tunbridge Wells after a clip emerged in which he said he did not like living in the Kent town. Dale, a long-time Tory supporter, had resigned from his LBC show to stand for the seat but announced his withdrawal on Thursday.
Speaking on LBC, Dale said he received a text from the local Conservative party informing him that the Liberal Democrats had shared a clip from the For the Many podcast, recorded two years ago, in which he stated he did not enjoy living in Tunbridge Wells and would prefer to live elsewhere. He acknowledged the comments were part of banter with co-presenter and former Labour home secretary Jacqui Smith, but said context was irrelevant in such situations.
Dale, who previously served as a Tory adviser, said he had informed both the national and local party of his past criticisms of Conservative policy, including Rishi Sunak's Rwanda plan. However, he had not remembered the remarks about Tunbridge Wells and felt they would be impossible to overcome, as they would feature on every Liberal Democrat campaign leaflet. He decided on Wednesday evening to ask not to be included on the shortlist.
Dale stated he did not want to damage the party and could not guarantee he had not made other controversial statements given his lengthy broadcasting career. He described the situation as a 'death by 1,000 cuts' and chose to withdraw rather than endure it.
