Senior London Tory Refuses To Vote For Any Leadership Candidate

Andrew Boff, Chair of the London Assembly, has said he will not vote for any of the Conservative leadership candidates as he is "appalled" by their approaches to migration and human rights.

Boff has been active in the Conservative Party for more than 50 years, a member of the London Assembly since 2008, and unsuccessfully sought to become the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London six times – including this year.

He has been an outspoken against some of the most senior Conservative politicians in recent years, and was kicked out of last year's Tory conference after heckling then-home secretary Suella Braverman during her speech. Boff, who is openly gay, spoke out during the speech, calling it "trash" and a "homophobic rant".

One year later, with the Tories now out of government, Boff remains very critical of the ideological direction of the party and voiced doubts over whether it can return to power at the next election. As the four remaining candidates for the party leadership battle it out in hustings at this year's Conservative Party conference, Boff has revealed he will not be voting for any of them due to their stances on migration, the ECHR, and LGBT+ rights. 

The London politician said he had been "appalled" by some of the things the contenders have said in recent weeks.

"The fact that the candidates are still talking about pulling out the ECHR, i.e. taking away British people's rights and building a stronger state, frightens the hell out of me," Boff told PoliticsHome.

"They're talking about bringing back the Rwanda policy, which is absolutely unjustifiable from any humanitarian standpoint, let alone human rights.

"They're talking about an obsession with the culture wars – nobody cares about the culture wars, only a