ANY QUOTES USED MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO MURNAGHAN, SKY NEWS

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Well the co-chairman of the Conservative party has denied calling grassroots activists ‘mad swivel eyed loons’ as I referred to there. Lord Feldman spoke out after internet rumours that he was behind the reported jibe by a member of David Cameron’s inner circle. I’m joined now by the Vice-Chairman of the Conservative party, Bob Neill, good to see you Mr Neill. All these issues seem to be joining up at the moment but it doesn’t look good whoever said this, for the leadership to be deriding the grassroots activists, does it?

BOB NEILL: Well there are two things to say first of all. Andrew Feldman has denied very explicitly that he said it and I think we have to be very, very wary of this I think rather slipshod bit of journalism where you will know neither he nor Downing Street were ever approached to comment on that.

DM: I don’t want to get into … I mean we neither of us were there and can’t say who said what to who but isn’t there an element of this tennis playing West Kensington clique at the top who do think that those out in the shires don’t really represent the party that they are part of?

BN: Again, look, I’ve been a member of the Conservative party for forty years, I spent a lot more time as a grassroots activist than I did before I became an MP. I’ve never heard that said, I work closely with Andrew Feldman as Vice-Chairman of the party for the last few years, I’ve never heard him or anyone in Central Office or in Downing Street say anything of that kind.

DM: But you would accept though that it’s made an awful lot of people at the grassroots very angry indeed, communicating that back to their MPs and then we end up tomorrow with a vote on same sex marriage, they are going to use that as an opportunity aren’t they, those that want to, to kick the Prime Minister?

BN: Well I think we’re going to make it quite clear, as Nick just said, the same sex marriage issue is an entirely separate thing, it’s a conscience issue and Members of Parliament will vote different ways according to how they feel, that’s what we have in the House of Commons, and it’s simply wrong as I’ve seen the amount of time both Andrew and the Prime Minister, spend with the grassroots activists. I spent most of the past few weeks talking to them at the council elections.

DM: So are you trying to say to me that those within your party who are angry with the Prime Minister about his response to UKIP, his stance over Europe, are not going to join it all up and here, Monday, there is another opportunity to embarrass the Prime Minister, to tell him we think you’re out of touch with us?

BN: Look, some people will I think come to incorrect conclusions because in fact what the Prime Minister is doing on really key issues like Europe is very much in touch with the electorate. It is pretty clear that overwhelmingly …

DM: But is he in touch with the electorate on gay marriage because you voted against, didn’t you?

BN: We have a difference of view as Nick said but in all the parties that doesn’t mean that any of us have any the less respect for each other. I think we can have a sensible debate about this, there will be different views about it but respect is there throughout the party and the key thing is actually when it comes to the crunch issues that will determine the general election – paying down the deficit, sorting out the economy, controlling immigration, giving people a vote on Europe, we are wholly united on that.

DM: Back to Nick Herbert, there you have it, your difference of opinions within the party but the fact is, I mean you’ve said it yourself, the issue is not about same sex marriage, the issue is about the economy. Nick Herbert, why are you tearing yourselves apart or about to tear yourselves apart on yet another issue which is not relevant to the public?

NICK HERBERT: Oh I think it is relevant. Those people that wish to get married, and I think the signal that parliament is saying on this issue …

DM: When you campaign they don’t mention it on the doorstep, if you raise it with them …

NH: Look, I’m talking about thousands of gay people who wish to get married but it also then sends a wider signal to society, to the public, to the kid that’s getting bullied in school who is worried about coming out because they’re gay, to the people, to the employees who still won’t necessary feel they are able to come out as gay and around the world where some repressive regimes are still doing appalling things to gay people so of course this issue is one that matters. What I would say is civil partnerships were opposed by Members of Parliament too, now almost every member of Parliament supports them.

DM: Well that’s why you should do it then, you’re in the same party, Bob Neill.

BN: Because it’s precisely not a party issue, as we’ve both observed there are people on all three parties in Parliament, all the main parties in Parliament who have differing views, that’s a legitimate thing to do. There are some things that people have always accepted are an issue of conscience and I agree with where we want to be in terms of respect for people regardless of their sexuality, regardless of gender. We all want to deal with those issues, there is a difference of view as to whether this Bill is the right way to go but that’s nothing compared with the huge amount of things that unite us.

DM: We must end it there. Thank you very much Bob Neill there and thanks once again to Nick Herbert.

NH: This is a conscience issue, we have free votes in the House of Commons precisely because sometimes there is disagreement between Members of Parliament and actually that is true across the parties but the majority of Members of Parliament believe, in common with the rest of the country and the population at large, that this is a change whose time has come.

DM: Okay, Mr Herbert, thank you very much, good to see you. Nick Herbert there.