Nigel Farage’s decision to stand down Brexit party candidates in Tory seats is not as clear cut in Scotland as it may seem, since it could damage Tory campaigns to unseat the Scottish National party in at least one key target seat.
A Brexit party spokesman has confirmed they will still stand candidates in SNP seats, and that could prove significant in Perth and North Perthshire, the Scottish Tories’ top target seat. The Tories are fighting on two fronts: pledging to “get Brexit done” but also leveraging opposition to a second independence referendum.
The SNP’s Pete Wishart holds a wafer-thin, 21-vote (0.04%) majority over the Tories in Perth and North Perthshire. In the 2015 general election an arch-Brexiter standing for Ukip, John Miles, took 1,110 votes there.
Wishart’s chances of holding the seat were boosted when the pro-independence Scottish Green party decided at the weekend not to stand a candidate against him, decreasing direct competition for SNP votes. (See 1.57pm.)
There is strong pro-Brexit sentiment in the area. The Brexit party came third in the council area of Perth & Kinross in the 2019 European parliament elections, with 8,088 votes, and Ukip took another 770. Those pro-Brexit votes accounted for 17.5% of all those cast in the area.
The Brexit party’s candidate for Perth and North Perthshire, Stuart Powell, is campaigning with the pledge: “We are real people doing ordinary jobs and intend to serve rather than rule”.
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Irish deputy PM criticises Tory pledge on Troubles inquiries
Ireland has expressed concern over a Conservative party pledge to change the law to protect former soldiers in Northern Ireland from possible prosecution over deaths during the Troubles.
The Tories have promised to end what they describe as “unfair trials” of soldiers accused of unlawful killings in Northern Ireland by amending the Human Rights Act to exclude any cases dating from before the act came into force in 2000.
Ireland’s deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, posted a tweet this morning saying this was “very concerning”.
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‘Trump got his wish’ – Corbyn says Farage’s plan to stand aside in Tory seats amounts to ‘Trump alliance’
Corbyn criticised by Tories for siding with Bolivian president who oversaw disputed election
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