The campaign to restore Boris Johnson as PM was a 'trojan horse' for a hostile, hard-right takeover of the party, it's been claimed.
The donors behind the petition have set up a new ‘party within a party’ - backed by Boris ally Priti Patel.
And Tory insiders fear they’ll be able to use the ready-made mailing list of tens of thousands of Johnson supporters to muscle in on the party and push right-wing figures.
Former Nigel Farage Deputy David Campbell Bannerman and millionaire donor Peter Cruddas launched the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) last week - vowing to give members the power to oust moderate MPs and take control of the party's national agenda.
Organisers say it’s a ‘news service’ based on Conservative Post, the ‘grassroots’ Tory website that also hosted the petition.
Conservative Post’s editor insists the new group will eventually be set up as its own entity, and won’t take the mailing list with it.
But they accepted emails were already being sent to people who signed the petition telling them about the CDO.
One senior Tory insider told the Sunday Mirror they believed using the petition to gather data for an "insurgency" was the plan all along.
Gina Miller, leader of the True & Fair Party, said: “There is nothing democratic about this organisation - rich donors must not be allowed to corrupt our democracy.
“It is a Trojan horse for a takeover of the Tory party by its militant right wing. This coup must be stopped if the Conservative Party is not to become even more extreme.”
Donations to the CDO - branded "Tory Momentum" after the pro-Corbyn pressure group - are collected by Conservative Post, and the website is listed as the group's "data controller"
And the small print under the Boris petition tells signatories their personal data - including names, addresses and membership numbers - will be used for "future campaigns".
Conservative Post Founder and Editor Claire Bullivant said: "The CDO is a campaign that has been set and is being orchestrated by the Conservative Post. It was a natural progression from the high profile Boris ballot we ran in the summer with Lord Cruddas.
“We were inundated by people including over 15,000 party members who felt disenfranchised from the party. Their idea of conservatism was not being adhered to. They felt ignored. So we set up this campaign on the back of that... it's not about getting Boris back anymore but it is about listening to members, conservative supporters and our readers.
"Who knows some of those people may have changed their mind now about Boris. But either way... they feel ignored and should be heard. We must restore democracy. If the party is to survive, democracy must prevail and members need to be listened to."
She added: “Currently the campaign is being run and orchestrated by the Conservative Post and we are very lucky to have Lord Cruddas again fronting everything and leading the charge. However, no Conservative Post data is or will ever be shared with any external companies.
"We believe we have the largest database of Conservative Party members outside of CCHQ so we know we can be very influential. But we're all on the same side and just want what's best for the party.
“We've already had talks with CCHQ and they are listening to what we have to say. They're being very receptive and understand the importance of the members. Together we are hoping to make positive changes."
