European election candidates: the good, bad and ugly

The hopefuls for the 2019 European Parliament elections range through the good, the bad and the ugly. With all candidates now announced, InFacts takes a look at those to watch ahead of May 23.

We’ve gathered the full list of candidates (plus some useful extra biographical info) in this helpful InFacts database.

The voting system used in the election means only the top candidates for each party have any realistic chance of being elected in each region (more here), and the diversity of pro-People’s Vote parties means a majority of votes for pro-Europeans is a better measure than actual MEPs elected (explained here).

Labour’s position will also be crucial: if the party’s unambiguously backs a new referendum on Brexit then pro-Europeans will reward the position. If not, they will abandon Jeremy Corbyn in droves. Sign InFacts’ petition calling on the Labour leader come out strongly for a new public vote.

Below we cover the characteristics of some of the different candidates, with specific contenders to look out for.

The Good

Several sitting MEPs are attempting to keep their seat in this election. Among them are several who have been invaluable allies to the pro-European cause. They include Labour MEPs Richard Corbett (Yorkshire & Humber, #1), Clare Moody (South West, #1), Jude Kirton-Darling (North East, #1) and Seb Dance (London, #2), the Greens’ Molly Scott Cato (South West, #1), Plaid Cymru’s Jill Evans (Wales, #1) and the SNP’s Alyn Smith (Scotland, #1). Some Conservative MEPs – such as Sajjad Karim (North East, #1) – have also done great work within the EU.

Several other strong pro-European voices from outside the European Parliament are standing. Among the Labour candidates are peer Andrew Adonis (South West, #2) – on whose controversial recent comments InFacts wrote yesterday – and Eloise Todd (Yorkshire & Humber, #2), the director of anti-Brexit campaign group Best For Britain.

Several former Conservatives turned pro-European campaigners have joined the Change UK ticket, including former health secretary and chair of the European Movement Stephen Dorrell (West Midlands, #1) and ex-Tory MP Neil Carmichael (East, #2).

Other outspoken supporters of a People’s Vote have come from outside politics. For example, Change UK have fielded former BBC broadcaster Gavin Esler (London, #1) and Joan Pons Laplana (East Midlands, #2), an award-winning nurse born in Spain who has been working in the NHS for 17 years.

The Bad

On the other side of the Brexit debate, the lists are often topped by figures from the Brexit elite. Nigel Farage (South East, #1) has given prominent places in his Brexit Party to long-standing allies: the businessmen and Leave Means Leave co-chairs Richard Tice (East, #1) and John Longworth (Yorkshire & Humber, #1), for example.

Also on the Brexit Party list are former Tory minister and pro-Brexit commentator Anne Widdecombe (South West, #1) and Annunziata Rees-Mogg (East Midlands, #1), sister of ERG chair Jacob. And of course arch-Brexiter Daniel Hannan (South East, #1) is back for the Conservatives.

The Ugly

Among the Ukip candidates is far-right YouTuber Carl Benjamin (South West, #2), known online as “Sargon of Akkad”, who once tweeted “I wouldn’t even rape you” to Labour MP Jess Philips. Ukip leader Gerard Batten (London, #1) defended the tweet as “satire”.

Batten’s ally Tommy Robinson is standing as an independent in the North West, potentially splitting the post-Brexit vote in that region.

However these elections pan out, and whoever ends up in the European Parliament, they are already shaking the foundations of UK politics. It is encouraging to see such a range of strong pro-European candidates who will be able to energise voters in the coming weeks.

Brexiters like Nigel Farage cannot be allowed to dictate a narrative that theirs is the people’s movement. Polling and protests in recent months have shown the momentum is clearly against this Brexit mess. The election campaign must be used to hammer that truth home.

Correction: “anti-Brexit” was changed to “pro-Brexit” in the second paragraph of the “ugly” section.

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