CCHQ has rejected Steven Woolfe’s application to join the Conservative Party. Prior to joining UKIP in 2010, Woolfe had served as a Tory councillor in North Wales.
Woolfe is well liked in Tory circles, Guido suspects members will not take kindly to this decision, especially after CCHQ welcomed the defection of UKIP MEP Amjad Bashir with open arms in 2015. The Tories have fewer members than the SNP, can they really afford to be turning former members away like this?
Guido understands that Woolfe’s association with Arron Banks’ ‘Blue Wave’ movement was CCHQ’s main sticking point with his application. The phrase “Conservative Grassroots Mutiny” in their promotional material did not go down well…
UPDATE: A Conservative spokesman has confirmed: “Steven Woolfe’s application for membership of the Conservative Party has not been accepted.”
UPDATE: A frustrated Steven Woolfe tells Guido that he is “bemused” by the situation, particularly given the Tories’ efforts in the past to win back moderate UKIP supporters. He is still waiting to hear back from CCHQ as to why he has been rejected. Woolfe remains one of the best-connected eurosceptic British MEPs in Brussels – does it make sense for the Tories to be spurning his offer of support?
Former almost UKIP leadership candidate Steven Woolfe MEP has applied to join the Tories. After they let Amjad Bashir defect in 2015, it would be very odd to refuse Woolfe membership…
He has become President of the ‘Blue Wave‘ movement of Brexit supporters joining Theresa May’s party. Woolfe is one of the more sensible ex-kippers, who left that party in 2016 after an infamous altercation, to sit in the EU Parliament as an independent. It will be interesting to see how welcoming CCHQ are to the former Tory councillor for Colwyn Bay….
The European Parliament adopted amendments on the draft EU budget this week. A line-by-line breakdown of spending proposals was circulated to MEPs – it’s eye-watering even by the EU’s troughing standards. €2 million for “private storage of certain cheeses” really grates, as well as €700,000 for a “manual of good practices for cruises”. All-time-classics of outrageous splurging…
Independent MEP Steven Woolfe said:
“The EU is actually a parody of itself. If the British people needed further reminding of why they voted to leave the EU last year it’s set out in black and white in this year’s budget. ‘Ocean literacy for all’, a ‘Manual of good practices for cruises’!? The mind boggles. Presumably, the ten million Euros spent on ‘storage measures for skimmed-milk powder’ is to ensure that, in the event of a nuclear holocaust, Eurocrats in Brussels will still be able to enjoy a white Americano as they slowly die from radiation poisoning…”
Roll on 2019…
Today’s highlights from #Ridge: @Steven_Woolfe, @johnmcdonnellMP and Andrew Mitchell MP discussing Syria, UKIP and anti-semitism pic.twitter.com/Gr74QEt79a
— SophyRidge On Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) April 9, 2017
Following recommendation of EP Advisory Committee on Code of Conduct, I referred incident involving MEPs Hookem and Woolfe to FR authorities
— EP President (@EP_President) October 26, 2016
Based on the result of the investigations, I will then take a decision about sanctions to be imposed according to EP rules
— EP President (@EP_President) October 26, 2016
Martin Schulz has referred Steven Woolfe and Mike Hookem to the French police after their fracas earlier this month. He says Woolfe “was subjected to an act of violence”. Definitely no political motivation behind Schulz’s decision.
Nigel Farage has taken a slightly different view from his bedside vigil with Woolfe, now Nige says “There is absolutely no evidence anyone was punched at all“. A new line which is definitely nothing to do with Woolfe quitting the party. Looks like UKIP’s internal investigation will be throwing Woolfe under a bus…
