The plot thickens over former Tory MEP Julie Girling, who caused a stir earlier today by endorsing the Lib Dems, despite supposedly being a Change UK MEP herself. Girling now claims that:

“I was not and am not a Change UK MEP. I sit in the European Parliament as an independent.”

Meanwhile Change UK have blamed the Lib Dems for making the “claim” that she was a Change UK MEP. So whose fault is it that the BBC reported less than a month ago that Girling herself had confirmed that she was joining Change UK?

Either Girling was telling porkies then or she’s telling porkies now. Every time it looks like the ‘Remain Alliance’ have hit peak incompetence they manage to go one better…

It turns out that the two former Tory MEPs who were kicked out of the party after voting to ban the UK from discussing trade in the Brexit negotiations joined ‘Change UK’ last month, not that anyone really noticed. Now Julie Girling, one of those Change UK MEPs, is encouraging constituents not to vote for her own party but for the Lib Dems instead, as they are “clearly the strongest Remain party.” She has issued a press release saying:

“In my view, the best way to get a People’s Vote to stop Brexit is to vote Lib Dem. That will send a very clear message to Mrs May and Mr Corbyn. This is what I will be doing. I urge other Remain voters to vote Lib Dem to stop Brexit.”

Even when the ChUKas do manage to put candidates up, their own politicians are telling voters to vote against them…

She’s not the only one giving surprise endorsements today, former Tory Remainer Nick Boles effectively endorsed the Brexit Party’s candidate in Peterborough:

I’ve never lived in Peterborough but I know it a bit as it’s the workplace of many of my constituents. I don’t support the @brexitparty_uk at all but @MikeGreeneTBP would make a much better MP for the city than either of the last two. I reckon he’ll do well.

— Nick Boles (@NickBoles) May 10, 2019

Evidently not much love lost between Boles and his former Tory MP neighbour Stewart Jackson…

Two Tory MEPs have left the Conservative Party’s affiliated group in the European Parliament and moved to Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier’s centre-right caucus. Julie Girling, MEP for South West England and Richard Ashworth, MEP for South East England, left the European Conservatives and Reformists group to join the European People’s Party. They said in a joint statement:

“We wish to inform you that we will be leaving the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) and joining the European Peoples Party Group (EPP) in the European Parliament with immediate effect. It is our intention to remain members of the Conservative Party in the UK as we believe the activities and approach of the EPP will more effectively further the prospects of achieving the best possible future for our constituents. We will continue to work for our constituents from inside the largest and most influential group in the European Parliament.”

Girling and Ashworth had the whip withdrawn last year after the voted to block Brexit. Bye…

Julie Girling MEP, stripped of the Tory whip, defiant…

“I know many constituents do not agree with me but we still live in a democracy with the right to free speech. I cannot change my mind on an issue of such magnitude based on a party whip.”

Last week Guido reported on the two Tory MEPs, Julie Girling and Richard Ashworth, who voted against the British position and with the EU to postpone the next phase of Brexit talks. The Sunday papers say they have had the Tory whip withdrawn. Bye…

UPDATE: David Davis has written to Jeremy Corbyn demanding he does the same and sacks the 18 Labour MEPs who also voted against moving the negotiations onto the next stage:

“While I would not expect opposition political parties to agree with us all the time about the end state we seek, it is a self-evident part of the national interest to support a discussion about our future relationship with Europe. So I was disappointed that 18 Labour MEPs voted against moving the negotiations onto the next stage. Will you follow suit and take action against the MEPs from your party who voted against the best future for the UK and the EU, or is this the official position of the Labour Party?”

You may have missed that during the Tory conference over in Brussels the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to postpone the next phase of Brexit talks:

Is of the opinion that in the fourth round of negotiations sufficient progress has not yet been made on citizens’ rights, Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the settlement of the United Kingdom’s financial obligations; calls on the European Council, unless there is a major breakthrough in line with this resolution in all three areas during the fifth negotiation round, to decide at its October meeting to postpone its assessment on whether sufficient progress has been made;

Brexiteers and fellow Tory MEPs are contemptuous of the two that voted with the majority – Julie Girling, MEP for South West England and Gibraltar, Richard Ashworth MEP for the South-East of England. New UKIP leader Henry Bolton is scathing: “Such behaviour might be expected by the Lib Dems but Labour and in particular Richard Ashcroft and Julie Girling, the former Leader and Chief Whip of the Tories in Brussels to have voted against the national interest. This little short of a disgrace.” It is one thing to be a Remoaner, it is of another order altogether for a Tory MEP to vote against Britain’s national interest…