Nigel Farage announced his party wont stand against Conservatives belonging to the extremist European Research Group (ERG)*. He also said he holds their future in his hands**. Johnson has denounced Farage’s offer of an electoral pact as unacceptable. This leaves Andrew and Julia in a difficult position. Farage’s Brexit policy is ‘No Deal’. This means breaking the law. Johnson has declared he wont break the law. So where’s the wriggle room for Andrew and Julia?
In February we discussed whether Andrew and Julia were real Conservatives***. Farage believes they aren’t. The challenge isn’t using Farage to make sure they are re-elected. The challenge is what happens if Johnson conjures a deal and demands support.
Johnson slung 21 senior MPs out of the party for voting against him. He added that what was ‘good for the goose was good for the gander’ when questioned about ERG members. Buying off Rees-Mogg with a cabinet position is one thing, but that leaves Andrew and Julia in the cold. Principles, or hold your nose and vote for a deal which must include a compromise on Northern Ireland? That’s the question.
* Both Andrew and Julia are in this group
** https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/11/nigel-farage-boris-johnson-no-deal-brexit-election-non-aggression-pact
This feeling is reflected in the analysis at a local level see https://havering.blog/2019/09/07/andrew-rosindells-nightmare/
and more generally https://oedeboyz.com/2019/09/12/boris-johnsons-nightmare-peterborough-2019/
*** https://havering.blog/2019/02/17/haverings-brexit-mps-are-they-conservatives/
Politics in Havering 