Following the wide-spread coverage of Ian Austin and John Woodcock calling on the public to back Boris and block Corbyn, a third former Labour MP – Tom Harris – has used a column in today’s Scottish Mail to back Boris for PM. Just about counteracts David Gauke’s u-turn this morning to stand as an independent against the Tories…
Harris – who served as a transport minister under Blair and Brown – has invoked the words of Theresa May (of all people), in writing “I will be voting Tory… to save the country that I love”, and goes on to say:
“Jeremy Corbyn, the present leader of UK Labour, cannot and must not be trusted with the security of our nation. Nor, frankly, can he be trusted with safeguarding the Union”
Harris – who also served in Ed Miliband’s Shadow Cabinet and backed leaving the EU in 2016 – wrote a similar column in 2017 warning of the dangers of Corbyn, but stopped well short of overtly calling on people to vote Tory. Austin, Woodcock and he really are Mainstream…
Only five of the 21 expelled Tory rebels still wish to return to the Conservative Party, according to a senior One Nation source. Namely, Amber Rudd, David Guake, Richard Benyon and Stephen and Philip Hammond. You couldn’t guess some of them want to return given how they’ve been behaving since losing the whip…
Whilst it was obvious some of the cohort – such as Sam Gyimah who is now a Lib Dem, and Rory Stewart who plans on standing as an independent – had given up on rejoining to Tory Party’s loving embrace, it was still assumed the majority of independent remainers would look at regaining the whip once Brexit is sorted. It’s also believed that only Rory has any chance of keeping his seat if standing as an independent…
In other wet Tory news, the Tory Reform Group held their one nation drinks reception yesterday, during which Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said multiple times “I am the law” and one member fainted. They’re truly dropping like flies…
UPDATE: A sign of further Tory independents to Lib Dem defections? Anne Milton and Guto Bebb spotted plotting with Phillip Lee and Sam Gyimah in PCH…
Expelled Tory MP David Gauke has been spotted arriving at the Raddison Blu hotel just outside the Tory conference secure zone – despite having just voted against allowing a recess for the conference. Fellow expellee Dominic Grieve has also spent a couple of days doing fringe events – including one with Jacob Rees-Mogg. They clearly can’t resist the attention…
Gauke has three fringe events scheduled, including one tonight with fellow expellee Dominic Grieve on why a no deal Brexit would be bad for the country; however Guido has been tipped off a group of pro-Brexit young Conservatives plan on gatecrashing the event to heckle. Wonder whether Gauke and Grieve will regret turning up after that…
Former Justice Secretary and Tory MP, David Gauke, has told Sophie Ridge he still harbours ambitions of returning to the Tory fold.
Following the expulsion of the 21 rebels, all conversations were about when they would be allowed back in; however Gyimah’s defected to the Lib Dems, Rory’s setting up a new party and others like Hammond seem to have given up entirely. Gauke has become the rebels’ rebel…
