Conservatives launch their EU election campaign to nearly empty room

Conservative MEP candidates Faye Purbrick, Ashley Fox, Claire Hiscott and Emmeline Owens with Prime Minister Theresa May (centre) in Bristol during campaigning for the upcoming European Parliament elections. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 17, 2019. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Toby Melville/PA Wire - Credit: PA

The Conservative Party’s EU election campaign has reportedly been launched with only a handful of reporters and candidates present.

Theresa May just launched Conservatives EU election campaign (six days to polling day) in a function room at a Bristol football stadium to UK pool camera and PA, with no wide invite to journalists - one reporter on rota (@robpowellnews) in the room pic.twitter.com/1hsaqRl3SO
— Ross Kempsell (@rosskempsell) May 17, 2019

talkRADIO political editor Ross Kempsell tweeted a picture of Theresa May flanked by four party activists, saying: “Theresa May just launched Conservatives EU election campaign (six days to polling day) in a function room at a Bristol football stadium to UK pool camera and PA, with no wide invite to journalists.”

TV stations often use a “pool” camera and share the resulting footage to save on staff time, but it is unusual at an election campaign launch of a major party.

“No invite to activists either – the campaign was launched to … candidates,” added Kempsell.

A YouGov poll commissioned by The Times revealed today that the Conservative Party has dropped to fifth place in the polls, with only 9% of the vote.

READ: Liberal Democrats overtake Labour in EU elections pollSixty-two per cent of former Conservative voters from the 2017 general election plan to vote for The Brexit Party, it was found.