Cameron's gay marriage guru Andrew Cooper quits after power battle with 'foghorn fixer' Lynton Crosby
The architect of David Cameron’s
policy on gay marriage is leaving Downing Street after losing a power
battle with the Prime Minister’s new Election supremo.
Andrew Cooper, Mr Cameron’s personal polling guru and a key modernising figure at No 10, is returning to his private business after being usurped by outspoken Australian ‘fixer’ Lynton Crosby.
Mr Cooper, who became Director of Government Strategy two years ago, is a former member of the now defunct Social Democratic Party and lobbied Mr Cameron to ditch traditional Right-wing Tory values and policies on Europe, tax and crime in a bid to ‘detoxify’ the Conservatives’ ‘Nasty Party’ image.
In contrast, Mr Crosby, who took charge of the Tory campaign machine in January on a £200,000-a-year deal, specialises in ‘dog whistle’ tactics – subtle appeals to voters’ underlying prejudices over issues such as immigration – which are designed to appeal to core Conservative voters.
Defiant Mr Crosby denies using ‘dog-whistle’ tactics to send surreptitious messages, saying: ‘It was more like a foghorn.’
He is understood to have been critical of Mr Cameron’s policy on gay marriage for alienating grassroots supporters.
Mr Cooper, co-founder of the Populus polling company, helped persuade Mr Cameron that while gay marriage would lose votes among older party supporters in safe seats, more importantly it would attract votes in marginal constituencies.
When Mr Crosby’s appointment was announced, Mr Cooper denied threatening to resign. However, he is to leave his Downing Street post to return to Populus, though he is expected to do some part-time work for Tory HQ.
Last night, a Tory source said: ‘There was never going to be room for both Andrew and Lynton. Andrew is a fully paid-up Conservative moderniser and believes that the party will never win a governing majority again unless it distances itself from its Thatcherite past. Lynton is an old-fashioned Thatcherite who thinks traditional values and policies are more important than modern fads.’
Mr Cooper’s critics claim he
places too much reliance on New Labour-style focus groups. His
supporters say the same techniques helped Tony Blair win three elections
and insist it is ‘totally unfair’ to blame him for the so-called
‘omnishambles’ – the series of U-turns – which followed last year’s
chaotic Budget.
Mr Cooper warned Mr Cameron that it
would be ‘toxic’ to cut the top rate of income tax from 50p to 40p,
following focus group findings that the Prime Minister and his
Chancellor were seen as ‘posh’ and ‘out of touch’ characters from TV
period drama Downton Abbey.
In the end, the Government compromised by cutting it to 45p.
Mr Crosby was dubbed The Wizard of Oz after winning four terms for former Australian PM John Howard and is billed as one of the most brilliant, though provocative, strategists of his generation.
In one notorious campaign ploy in 2001, he seized on the news that a refugee ship, packed with Afghan asylum seekers, had entered Australian waters.
Mr Howard, on Mr Crosby’s advice, refused the passengers entry amid claims that they were trying to blackmail their way in by throwing children overboard.
The allegations turned out to be false but the controversy boosted Mr Howard’s ratings and he gained more credit when, shortly afterwards, Islamic extremists attacked America on 9/11.
Four years later, Mr Crosby had moved to Britain to advise Michael Howard, whose 2005 General Election campaign was noted for highlighting immigration. Although Mr Howard was beaten by Mr Blair, Mr Crosby was credited for avoiding a third landslide defeat.
He went on to mastermind Boris Johnson’s two victories in the London mayoral elections and Mr Johnson urged Mr Cameron to do ‘whatever it takes’ to hire Mr Crosby to run the Tories’ 2015 Election campaign. ‘Push the boat out, break the piggy bank, kill the fatted calf,’ said the Mayor.
However, not all of Mr Johnson’s advisers were so impressed. The Mail on Sunday revealed last year how some were shocked when Mr Crosby said Mr Johnson should stop focusing on ‘f***ing Muslims’.
Admirers have hailed his
appointment to Mr Cameron’s team for bringing ‘discipline, clarity,
toughness and populism’ to Conservative HQ.
However, the party’s former Deputy Chairman Lord Ashcroft, a long-standing political and business rival of the Australian, said Mr Cameron had made a mistake and called Mr Crosby ‘a distracting influence’.
A No 10 source played down Mr Cooper’s resignation and said: ‘Andrew always planned to return to his business around this time and will carry on doing some work for the Conservative Party.’
Andrew Cooper, Mr Cameron’s personal polling guru and a key modernising figure at No 10, is returning to his private business after being usurped by outspoken Australian ‘fixer’ Lynton Crosby.
Mr Cooper, who became Director of Government Strategy two years ago, is a former member of the now defunct Social Democratic Party and lobbied Mr Cameron to ditch traditional Right-wing Tory values and policies on Europe, tax and crime in a bid to ‘detoxify’ the Conservatives’ ‘Nasty Party’ image.
In contrast, Mr Crosby, who took charge of the Tory campaign machine in January on a £200,000-a-year deal, specialises in ‘dog whistle’ tactics – subtle appeals to voters’ underlying prejudices over issues such as immigration – which are designed to appeal to core Conservative voters.
Defiant Mr Crosby denies using ‘dog-whistle’ tactics to send surreptitious messages, saying: ‘It was more like a foghorn.’
He is understood to have been critical of Mr Cameron’s policy on gay marriage for alienating grassroots supporters.
Mr Cooper, co-founder of the Populus polling company, helped persuade Mr Cameron that while gay marriage would lose votes among older party supporters in safe seats, more importantly it would attract votes in marginal constituencies.
When Mr Crosby’s appointment was announced, Mr Cooper denied threatening to resign. However, he is to leave his Downing Street post to return to Populus, though he is expected to do some part-time work for Tory HQ.
Last night, a Tory source said: ‘There was never going to be room for both Andrew and Lynton. Andrew is a fully paid-up Conservative moderniser and believes that the party will never win a governing majority again unless it distances itself from its Thatcherite past. Lynton is an old-fashioned Thatcherite who thinks traditional values and policies are more important than modern fads.’
Success: Lynton Crosby was formerly campaign chief for London Mayor Boris Johnson
Electoral dynamite: Lynton Crosby helped John Howard in Australia win four elections
In the end, the Government compromised by cutting it to 45p.
Mr Crosby was dubbed The Wizard of Oz after winning four terms for former Australian PM John Howard and is billed as one of the most brilliant, though provocative, strategists of his generation.
In one notorious campaign ploy in 2001, he seized on the news that a refugee ship, packed with Afghan asylum seekers, had entered Australian waters.
Mr Howard, on Mr Crosby’s advice, refused the passengers entry amid claims that they were trying to blackmail their way in by throwing children overboard.
The allegations turned out to be false but the controversy boosted Mr Howard’s ratings and he gained more credit when, shortly afterwards, Islamic extremists attacked America on 9/11.
Four years later, Mr Crosby had moved to Britain to advise Michael Howard, whose 2005 General Election campaign was noted for highlighting immigration. Although Mr Howard was beaten by Mr Blair, Mr Crosby was credited for avoiding a third landslide defeat.
He went on to mastermind Boris Johnson’s two victories in the London mayoral elections and Mr Johnson urged Mr Cameron to do ‘whatever it takes’ to hire Mr Crosby to run the Tories’ 2015 Election campaign. ‘Push the boat out, break the piggy bank, kill the fatted calf,’ said the Mayor.
However, not all of Mr Johnson’s advisers were so impressed. The Mail on Sunday revealed last year how some were shocked when Mr Crosby said Mr Johnson should stop focusing on ‘f***ing Muslims’.
Shift: Lynton Crosby wants David Cameron, left, to focus on traditional values like Margaret Thatcher, right
However, the party’s former Deputy Chairman Lord Ashcroft, a long-standing political and business rival of the Australian, said Mr Cameron had made a mistake and called Mr Crosby ‘a distracting influence’.
A No 10 source played down Mr Cooper’s resignation and said: ‘Andrew always planned to return to his business around this time and will carry on doing some work for the Conservative Party.’