Boris Johnson is right to urge Conservatives not to defect to UKIP and Chris Kelly MP ought to heed his advice
UKIP is a very tempting proposition: They speak for millions when they complain about Europe and they sum up the feelings of many when they demand a stop to the free flow of immigrants into Britain. This movement’s success has been based upon popular policies but they are policies that they know will never need to be delivered. That is exactly why Boris Johnson was right to state that Tory MPs and MEPs allegedly considering defecting to this protest party are “utterly nuts”.
In a leader article for The Telegraph, Johnson suggests that “jumping into the arms of UKIP only helps Ed Miliband” and that “the sweet and beery enchantments of Nigel Farage” will just lead this country “off the edge and into the abyss”. He continues:
“There are only two people who are in a position to take the keys to Downing Street next May, and they are David Cameron or Ed Miliband. I know that you disagree vehemently with most of what Ed Miliband says and does – and so I must urge you not to allow the disaster of a Miliband premiership”.
Meanwhile, yesterday, The Huffington Post reported that Chris Kelly MP – who is stepping down at the next election after just one term in Parliament – is also considering defecting to UKIP. In response, Nadine Dories MP stated:
“I do know this much, for definite because he’s my daughter’s boyfriend of four years – Chris Kelly will not be defecting, not if he ever wants another roast dinner from me again”.
I first came to know the MP for Dudley South in the late 1990s and despite finding his political views to be somewhat right of my own, respected his loyalty and enthusiasm for all things Conservative. He is a man who placed a 10,000/1 bet on becoming Prime Minister before 2038 and one who should know that his defection would only be to the benefit of Labour.
MPs Douglas Carswell and the appropriately named Mark Reckless have not only been traitors to their own party, they have also let down the nation. This dastardly duo will thankfully soon be forgotten but those that believe UKIP will be anything other than a contemporary Referendum Party are, indeed, nothing other than bonkers. I urge Chris Kelly not to follow them over the precipice.
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