Tag: Heidi Allen

At least 200 people have applied to stand as candidates for the new Independent Group if the UK takes part in European elections next month – amid growing signs that the contest could turn into a “proxy referendum” on whether to leave or remain in the EU. The Independent Group’s team of eight former Labour and three former Tory MPs – all strongly pro-Remain and in favour of a second referendum – have applied to the Electoral Commission to register as a party and take part in the elections under the name Change UK – The Independent Group. They believe the May elections across the EU could serve as an ideal and timely electoral launchpad for their fledgling party, and plan to use the slogan #rulemakersnotruletakers. The 11 independent MPs will begin selecting candidates this week. All but four have said they want to carry on. The leader of the Labour MEPs, Richard Corbett, who has put himself forward again, said the elections would be seen as a big opportunity by smaller UK parties from both sides of the Brexit divide. Equally, from the pro-Brexit wing, Ukip and Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party would be hoping to mobile anti-EU feeling and a sense of betrayal that Brexit had not been delivered. Tusk, meanwhile, wants EU leaders to offer at a summit next Wednesday what he has described as a “flextension” in which the UK would be given a year-long extension with an option to come out early if and when a Brexit deal is ratified. Government sources said this could mean that the UK parties take part in campaigning for the European election, but could then pull out as late as 22 May, if parliament were to have agreed a Brexit deal. The Government is determined to work constructively to deliver the Brexit people voted for, and avoid participation in the European Parliamentary elections.”

TIG is dead. Long live CUK! The Independent Group has registered as a political party, “Change UK – The Independent Group”, in anticipation of the European Parliament elections next month. Heidi Allen, the former Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, has been named as its interim leader until a full election at the party’s inaugural conference in September. Both the choice of name and leader – Allen was the unanimous choice of the party’s 11 MPs – reflect what TIG sees as its political raison d’etre: to act not as an adjunct to any of the existing parties but as a disruptive anti-system entity. Or, as Anna Soubry put it in the Commons this morning, “a new way of doing politics”. Senior sources within TIG argue that Allen, rather than the group’s spokesperson Chuka Umunna or its convenor Gavin Shuker, best embodies that mission. First elected in 2015 after a career in business, Allen’s, TIG MPs say, is a “non-political background”. To a large extent it is an attempt to provide an early and conclusive answer to the question that bedevilled the SDP in its early years: is the new party seeking to supplant the existing liberal-left players in the current system, or remake that system entirely? TIG believes it can only make electoral hay in the latter pose.

The Independent Group of MPs has been challenged by the petitions site Change.org about their plans to register as a political party called Change UK. The breakaway group of former Labour and Tory MPs is to formally register as a political party in time for potential European elections, and has said the former Conservative MP Heidi Allen will be interim leader. It is understood Change.org is seeking legal advice and contacting the Electoral commission. “This new party is using the language of Change.org. In a statement on Twitter, Change.org said it was “totally independent of party politics” and said it was seeking advice on how to challenge the branding. “It’s said that imitation is a form of flattery. The group will register as Change UK – The Independent Group. “A new party will shake up the two-party system and provide people with an alternative that can change our country for the better,” Umunna said. “This is what Change UK will be aiming to do at any European elections if our application for registration is accepted in time.” Allen said she wanted to attract support from across political backgrounds. Three Tory MPs joined the group two days after the Labour MPs defected, saying they believed their party was being held hostage by hard Brexiters.

The Independent Group (TIG) of MPs has applied to become a political party to take part in European elections in May if they go ahead. The government has warned that unless the EU withdrawal agreement is approved later, the UK risks having to take part in May's European Parliament polls. The Independent Group, currently made up of eight former Labour and three ex-Tory MPs, has said it had applied to register as a political party in time for it to take part in those polls under the name "Change UK - The Independent Group". AdChoices If the elections watchdog approves its application and the polls go ahead, it said it would field a substantial number of candidates from backgrounds outside of politics to try and "shake up the two-party system". Ms Allen, a former Conservative MP, told the BBC that the European elections would be a "weathervane moment for the country" and a "proxy for another referendum". "It is real opportunity," she said. "The country is crying out for someone to lead and say we can just stay." She claimed there was enormous support for a new political movement but she did not underestimate the challenges involved. "This is David and Goliath stuff. She said there had no squabbling over her appointment as interim leader and it felt a "nice fit" for her to take the role alongside Chuka Umunna, who is acting as the group's principal spokesman.

The Independent Group (TIG) of MPs has applied to become a political party to take part in European elections in May if they go ahead. The government has warned that unless the EU withdrawal agreement is approved later, the UK risks having to take part in May's European Parliament polls. The Independent Group, currently made up of eight former Labour and three ex-Tory MPs, has said it had applied to register as a political party in time for it to take part in those polls under the name "Change UK - The Independent Group". AdChoices If the elections watchdog approves its application and the polls go ahead, it said it would field a substantial number of candidates from backgrounds outside of politics to try and "shake up the two-party system". Ms Allen, a former Conservative MP, told the BBC that the European elections would be a "weathervane moment for the country" and a "proxy for another referendum". "It is real opportunity," she said. "The country is crying out for someone to lead and say we can just stay." She claimed there was enormous support for a new political movement but she did not underestimate the challenges involved. "This is David and Goliath stuff. She said there had no squabbling over her appointment as interim leader and it felt a "nice fit" for her to take the role alongside Chuka Umunna, who is acting as the group's principal spokesman.