Creator of Controversial EU Petition to be Re-instated in December

Published on: 13 Nov, 2016
Updated on: 16 Nov, 2016

Cllr Christian Holliday

A Conservative borough councillor who started a controversial petition, on the official UK and Parliament website, is expected to be re-instated as a member of the Conservative group at Millmead next month (December 2016).

The petition called on the government to make any attempt to make the UK a member of the EU, once again, a treasonable offence. It caused considerable controversy, especially after it was featured in the national press. Local opposition parties called for the councillor Christian Holliday (Burpham) to resign or be expelled from the Conservative party.

When Cllr Holliday failed to speak to council leader Paul Spooner on the subject, by a given deadline, the leader reacted by suspending Cllr Holliday from the Tory group at Guildford Borough Council (GBC).

Shortly afterwards a contrite Holliday accepted his leader’s decision and apologised to his party, admitting he should not have given his councillor status together with his name when creating the petition.

It is understood that the councillor has also now, within the last two weeks, had his apology accepted by the Guildford Conservative Association and that he has reiterated his apology at a meeting of the GBC Conservative group which agreed to maintain his suspension from the group until December.

Local Councillor Has Controversial EU Petition Taken Down

Letter: Cllr Holliday Should Resign

Responses to Creator of Controversial EU Petition to be Re-instated in December

Martin Elliott Reply

November 13, 2016 at 12:13 pm

What, in practice, does this actually mean?

Does it affect his representation of the suffering Burpham residents? Does it mean he cannot claim his council allowances? Is he banned from entering Millmead?

All I can think is that he can’t buy himself a drink at a Conservative club bar!

As I understand, it is similar to a MP having the whip withdrawn by their political party. He is probably excluded from some group activity and communications but a political party cannot disbar anyone from being a councillor, only the whole council itself can do that.
He is still a Conservative party member so can still, I presume, have a drink at their bar. It short it is largely symbolic but nonetheless significant as a sign of the group’s disapproval. Ed
Jim Allen Reply

November 13, 2016 at 5:43 pm

Councillor Holliday has never failed to represent Burpham and works hard behind the scenes to ensure the borough council works for the community.

The fact he used a legal instrument / procedure provided by central government to raise a serious and concerning questions, while others try to circumvent a recognised procedure by attempting to use any means possible to invert a UK wide referendum result begs the question, who was being unreasonable in the first place?
David Roberts Reply

November 14, 2016 at 5:45 pm

For once, I’m on Cllr Spooner’s side. Conservative councillors have really got to stop making fools of themselves.