Politics

Tory leadership contenders to 'back no deal Brexit' after election mauling by Nigel Farage


The Tory leadership battle lurched to the right after a European election mauling by Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party.

Contenders backed a no-deal after Farage threatened havoc in a general election.

Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn was urged to support a second referendum.

The humiliated Tories were warned to get their Brexit act together or face obliteration after rampaging Farage trounced them.

The Brexit Party leader boasted that he would “stun everybody” and cause havoc at the next general election if there was any delay in quitting the EU.

Demanding a role in the next round of negotiations, he said: “If we don’t leave on October 31 then the scores you have seen for the Brexit Party will be repeated…and we are getting ready for it.”

eremy Corbyn leaves his home this morning

He hopes the party will win its first seat in next week’s Peterborough by-election where it is fielding former Tory supporter Mike Greene as a candidate.

Voters sent a clear message to the flailing Conservatives, who won just 9.1% of the vote in European Parliament elections, slumping to a dismal fifth place behind the Greens – their worst election defeat in nearly 200 years.

Tories hoping to replace Theresa May as leader scrambled to promise Brexit at all costs.

Front-runner Boris Johnson warned the rout could become a “permanent haemorrhage” if the party failed to deliver Brexit

 

Front-runner Boris Johnson warned the rout could become a “permanent haemorrhage” if the party failed to deliver Brexit.

The former Foreign Secretary said he would walk away from the EU without a deal, even if it led to economic and political chaos.

He added: “No one sensible would aim exclusively for a No Deal exit. No one responsible would take No Deal off the table.”

However, the uncertainty of No Deal could prompt a fall in the pound, soaring prices on imported goods, shortages of medicine and food, and martial law imposed with troops on standby.

Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab also said the Tories must deliver Brexit on time or be “kicked out” at the next election.

Former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey said “nothing else will wash now”, and the UK needs “a clean break” with the EU.

Former Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom said it is vital to find a way to “decisively” leave by Halloween .

But Mr Farage said none of the leading contenders could be relied on to deliver Brexit as they had all backed Theresa May’s Brexit deal. The former UKIP leader added: “Why would I trust any of them? Why would I believe any of them? The Conservative Party are bitterly divided and I consider it extremely unlikely that they’ll pick a leader who is able to take us out on October 31 come what may.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid became the ninth senior Tory to enter the race yesterday.

He said: “This is a verdict on our delivery of Brexit.

“There’s a clear lesson: people want us to get on with it.”

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Tories faced an “existential risk” unless they delivered Brexit. Arch-Brexiteer Steve Baker and former backbench Tory chief Sir Graham Brady were still considering entering the fray, while the Mirror understands that Brexit minister James Cleverly will throw his hat in the ring this week.

Labour was knocked into third place by the pro-EU Lib Dems, finishing on 14.1% and losing 10 of their 20 seats. But the Brexit party won by a landslide, topping the poll in every area but London, and wiping out the Tories in others.

Just four Conservatives were elected in England, Scotland and Wales, while the Brexit Party took 29 seats, overtaking the 24 MEPs that Mr Farage’s former party UKIP sent to the European Parliament in 2014.

The Brexit Party took 29 seats, overtaking the 24 MEPs that Mr Farage’s former party UKIP sent to the European Parliament in 2014

 

However, the turnout was 37%, much lower than that of a general election which in 2017 was 68%.

Almost 12 hours after the result, Theresa May broke her silence to declare a “very disappointing night” for the Conservatives.

She tweeted: “It shows the importance of finding a Brexit deal, and I sincerely hope these results focus minds in Parliament.”

The Lib Dems, meanwhile, had the best night in history in many areas, recovering from a catastrophic low point in 2014 when they had just a single MEP. Vince Cable’s self-admitted “b****cks to Brexit” party enjoyed a huge 14-point surge to 21% and rocketed their seat tally to 16.

They even topped the bill in Labour London – including in Jeremy Corbyn ’s own back yard of Islington.

It came after they won high profile backing from Tory former deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine and Labour’s former spin chief Alastair Campbell.

Sir Vince, who is stepping down as Lib Dem leader this summer, said the party’s “clear, honest, unambiguous” Remain message was behind their historic result.

The Green party also had a strong result, taking seven seats – up from three – as disillusioned Remain voters quit Labour.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the result for the Scottish National Party, which won three seats, was a clear message from Remain voters. She said: “Scotland has spoken – we are not for Brexit.”

Voters sent a clear message to the flailing Conservatives, who won just 9.1% of the vote

 

In Northern Ireland two of the three elected MEPs were from pro-Remain parties – the Alliance Party and Sinn Fein. The third was from the pro-Leave Democratic Unionist Party, which props up the Tories’ fragile Government.

Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Alliance Party, received 170,370 votes – 115,000 more than her party received in 2014 EU elections. Supporters chanted: “Yes she did.“

Ms Long said: “I think people are tired of the fact that the stale politics of the past isn’t delivering and I think what we are offering are solutions to the problems we have, not just more problems.”

Despite the Brexit Party’s thumping victory, the full results show that solidly pro-EU parties beat parties that want to leave without a deal in October, by 40% to 35%.

But Change UK, the new pro-EU party launched with Labour and Tory defectors, finished sixth in England and Wales with zero seats and just 3.6% of the vote. Leader Heidi Allen confessed that the fledgling party could now collapse and its members leave to join the Lib Dems.

UKIP lost all of its MEPs in the European Parliament, despite topping the voting figures in 2014.

Far-right extremist Stephen Yaxley Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, failed spectacularly in his bid to join the European Parliament.

He stood as an independent candidate in the North West but won just 38,908 votes in total.

It prompted laughter when the result was read out in Manchester.

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