We will take steps to close 'gap' between leadership and members, Tories say Brian Binley MP, a party vice-chairman, told the meeting that the party should organise an investigation into the affair but this was "pretty overwhelmingly rejected" by other members. He added the board had been "unanimous in its support for Andrew Feldman" who reiterated that he had denied using the words in an informal after-dinner chat with journalists. Mr Binley added: "It was felt that there was a need to look at the narrowing of the gap between the party in the country and the leadership. I understand what David Cameron is saying about trying to reach out to more people than the Conservative Party, but he has to realise that he is the caretaker of the Conservative Party and not the proprietor of the Conservative Party. Mr Shapps is understood to have told the meeting that the party was taking measures to deal with this problem and would be working hard to ensure that the party's leadership was working closely with its activists. Earlier, former Conservative donor and the party's vice-chairman Lord Ashcroft warned that the row, dubbed "loongate," as well as others over Europe and gay marriage risked pitching the Tories into a "spiral of irrelevance." We hope to be elected in two years" time in rather greater numbers to implement a Tory manifesto in full. Lord Ashcroft said: "For all its virtues, the Conservative membership does not look the same as the rest of Britain.