UKIP will not field a candidate against Tory Brexiteer Philip Hollobone in Kettering after he committed to supporting a raft of their manifesto pledges. In an election pact announced today UKIP’s Kettering branch and Hollobone have signed a memorandum of understanding which says:

“UKIP will advise its members, activists and supporters to vote for Philip Hollobone… Philip Hollobone confirms his support for the policy of a clear and clean Brexit, Philip Hollobone also confirms his previously held positions on:

– A ban on face coverings in public places.

– Opposition to the HS2 project.

– No statutory commitment to spend 0.7% of GNP on overseas aid.”

Hollobone said:

“I share Kettering UKIP’s desire for a clean Brexit and am delighted that they will not be running a candidate against me. We all worked hard together for Brexit, being jointly committed to this as being in the best long term interests of the country. As this has become a Brexit election, I pay tribute to Jonathan Bullock and Kettering UKIP’s integrity in making this decision.”

Hollobone stresses to Guido the policy commitments listed in the memorandum of understanding are not new pledges and they are all matters on which he has previously publicly spoken or voted in the House. Wonder how many more of these agreements we will see between UKIP and Tory Leavers…