What’s the next game for UKIP’s former leader Nigel Farage and top backer Arron Banks?
UKIP itself may be nearing its sell-by date. With the party’s prime goal of Brexit virtually achieved and Farage handing over today to a little known leader, Diane James, it is not clear where the party itself goes.
But that doesn’t mean UKIP’s prime movers have given up their ambitions. So far there are a couple of clues to what they might do.
First, Banks, the tycoon and co-founder of Leave.EU, told The Times earlier this month that he wants to create a “right-wing Momentum” to “keep the Tories clean”. Momentum is the hard-left pressure group within Labour that has been the main source of Jeremy Corbyn’s power. Banks, who backed James as UKIP leader, refused to tell The Times whether Farage would be involved in his initiative.
The tycoon’s scheme follows Leave.EU’s decision to endorse Andrea Leadsom, considered a hard Brexiteer, in the her ill-fated campaign to become Tory leader. If she’d won, Banks might have had a good entree into Downing Street.
Second, one of Farage’s aides has defected to the Conservatives. Alex Phillips, who was UKIP’s head of media for two years, told the BBC today that she was impressed by Theresa May – mentioning how the government was putting in place UKIP policies on grammar schools and Brexit.
Phillips also said UKIP was in a “catastrophic mess” and riven by irreparable schisms and divisions. Her defection to the Tories followed hard on the heels of a similar departure by Steve Stanbury, a former UKIP director, to the Conservatives.
It is still not clear what to make of these clues. However, if Banks is successful in creating a right-wing Momentum that gains significant influence within the Tory party, we will be heading for a hard Brexit. Life will also be even tougher for pro-European Conservatives. And if both Labour and the Tories were pulled to the extremes, a big chunk of the population wouldn’t have any natural home.
This article was updated shortly after publication to add the fact that Banks backed James as UKIP leader and that Stanbury had defected to the Conservatives.
well, right-wing entryism into the Tory party is nothing new
it has been the normal game ever since Tatcher was ejected in 1991
half the so-called libertarian or free-market think tanks are nothing more than empty shells for right-wing lobbyists
the Young Briton Foundation is a self-proclaimed “madrassa” for right-wing activists, of infamy lately for coercing those activists into servicing older Tory MPs (inc. sexual favors and sordid blackmails), pushing the Tory agenda during election campaigns in contravention to spending rules, and making up the large part of the current intake of Tory MPs
the real question is what has become of Tory pragmatic conservatism ? which MPs can realistically be called center-right, and who aren’t 70+ years old
Must agree with Starbuck above, the examples of Tory links to the far right stretch back a long time and still come to light today now and again, but nothing ever changes. A list off the top of my head :
* the Asian candidate who was found to have been in talks with the EDL to win his seat.
* Jacob Rees Mogg, Christopher Chope and Owen Paterson were all found to have given speeches to far right fringe groups that believe in repatriation of even second or third generation migrants (e.g. British people) and that rape is legal within marriage. Note how these are all Brexiteers.
* Iain Duncan Smith (Brexit supporter) was horrified when the nice Mr Griffin running his leadership/election campaign was the father of BNP leader Nick Griffin. Only Smith’s wife had run against Griffin Snr in a council election. Edgar Griffin told the press that he was disappointed to be ejected from the Tories as most supporters held identical views to his and the BNP was too too liberal.
* Bill Cash met with leaders of the Italian fascist movement in the 90s.
* IDS also met with far right Europeans including Le Pen to discuss alliances in the EU Parliament.
* William Hague was chastised by the USA for forming alliances with antisemitic parties in the EU.
The point is that the Tories learned they could farm out their extreme beliefs or live them through Ukip. Ukip was always a front for the Tories. Bill Cash’s son was in Ukip. The Taxpayers’ Alliance and the Countryside Alliance are fronts for the Tories.
For Brexit the TPA people have set up lots of groups that are doing the real work behind the scenes. Gisela Stuart’s ‘Change for Britain’ is the most feeble, transparent front I’ve seen yet. Why does she knowingly agree to it. There’s quite a story behind Brexit that has yet to come out.