Tag: The Independent Group

The Conservative party has told potential local election candidates it is preparing to fight in the European elections in May, and asked potential MEPs to put themselves forward. Conservative MEPs were warned in a meeting last week that they faced “annihilation” in European polls, igniting fury among some at the prospect of having to spend money and time on standing again to either lose their seats or spend an unclear length of time in post, with a number considering whether they want to bother at all. A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said that it remained the intention to pass the necessary legislation so the UK did not need to participate in European parliamentary elections. The Lib Dem Brexit spokesman, Tom Brake, said: “We are raring to go to the polls with a clear offer; every Liberal Democrat elected is another voice fighting for our country’s place in the European Union.” Don't dread the European elections – they could fix our broken politics | Maya Goodfellow Read more The Conservative party has been repeatedly warned it could face a looming grassroots meltdown because of Brexit, yet new data ahead of next month’s local elections suggests the party is fielding candidates in more than 96% of the 8,374 English council seats being contested on 2 May. The Conservatives could also receive a “Brexit benefit” if May agreed a departure deal before the local elections, according to Hayward, who is a Conservative peer as well as being a noted psephologist. Labour is fielding people in 77% of seats – many of the contested areas are Tory heartlands – and the Lib Dems 53%. “Considering there is this general perception that the grassroots of the Tory party are in total despair, and immobile, 96% is the highest figure in this four-year cycle that’s ever been achieved,” Hayward said. But divining the possible impact of Brexit was very tricky, he said: “The problem is that these things are so fluid at the moment. I have no doubt in my own mind that there is a Brexit benefit to the government if there is a deal. The corollary of that is that there is clearly a dis-benefit to the Tory party to not having a deal.

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.”

Boles had left local members unsure if he would be standing again for the Tories, not least after he resigned from the local association last month. He added that of the 345 emails he had received from party members and supporters before the association’s local AGM last month, just 22 had expressed support for Boles, while more than 300 wanted him gone. Sagar accused Boles of arrogance and self-importance: “Rather than Nick and politicians like Anna Soubry, who are far too London-centric, the real victims are the local electorates and associations which largely voted for leave.” Sagar rejected suggestions from supporters of Boles that the local association had been the subject of a “Ukip takeover”. “What should happen next is entirely up to Nick. On Tuesday, some councillors were reluctant to offer their views on Boles’s actions and how he had been treated. But one councillor, Bob Adams, said he was “very disappointed” that the MP felt he had to resign from the party. So from that point of view it’s sad that this has happened,” said the self-proclaimed supporter of a no-deal Brexit. “None has earned the right to lead the country after Brexit.” Conservative MP Nick Boles quits party after his soft Brexit plan fails Read more The MP may have a mountain to climb should he seek re-election on a non-Tory ticket. His resignation – which prompted siren calls from other former Tory colleagues in the Independent Group of MPs, now known as Change UK – means that a rural Lincolnshire constituency is being represented by a non-Tory for the first time since 2010. Others point out that no one has won an election in a rural Lincolnshire seat against a Conservative candidate since 1948.

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.

The party has had a dramatic effect on both the major parties with talk of further defections to come. LONDON — The Independent Group (TIG) of 11 former Labour and Conservative MPs has already had a dramatic impact on British politics. In just a few short weeks, it has snatched 11 MPs from the two major parties, surged in the opinion polls, and arguably helped force a major shift in the Labour party's Brexit policy. one TIG MP said this week, reflecting on the two weeks since the group's dramatic launch. TIG targets new MPs REUTERS/Henry Nicholls The group does not yet have an official leader, and doesn't plan to elect one until it is a party, but this week appointed former Labour MP Chuka Umunna as its chief spokesperson and main figurehead. One former Labour shadow minister told BI on Friday that they planned to join TIG as soon as the Umunna-fronted group unveiled its first batch of policies. Julian Dunkerton — the co-founder of clothing range Superdry who donated one million pounds to the People's Vote campaign in August— is also weighing up becoming a financial backer, sources in to the anti-Brexit campaign said. A TIG MP said on Friday there would be "no pacts, no alliances" with the Lib Dems amid suggestions from people including Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable that the two could work together in certain seats at the next election. They added that Lib Dem MPs and supporters have already signaled that they could quit to join TIG. Comments by members of the group that they would refuse to back a vote of no confidence in the current government have only fueled those charges.

As the Labour and Conservative parties splinter, the professional political journalist part of me certainly wonders if I should have been back in Westminster for the excitement. We chose our time to be away carefully: half-term is when MPs were also due to take a week's break. So far eight Labour MPs and three Conservatives, all pro-Europeans, have quit their parties to join The Independent Group, now known as TIG for short. TIG has not yet become a new political party but this is still a massive development. Both are also becoming increasingly undemocratic in the full sense of the word. So far it is fair to say that its members were all on the likely list and still only make up 11 out of 650 MPs. It will depend on what happens with Brexit over the next five weeks. If so, will there be a majority for the second referendum which all the TIG group members want? Will Labour facilitate Brexit under Mrs May's deal, probably driving many more pro-European MPs to quit in disgust? If Mrs May presides over that happening, I can't see how either the Conservative Party or Labour will hold together.

Brexit has re-defined the Conservative party - undoing all the efforts to modernise it. There will be times when we will support the government, for example, on measures to strengthen our economy, security and improve our public services. Yours sincerely, (@NickyMorgan01) Very sorry to read this from my principled and fearless friend @Anna_Soubry - any political party should be a broad church and we should regret losing three such talented women from the Conservative Party https://t.co/ird2MeCYIT (@joswinson) "a purple momentum is now subsuming the Conservative party... marching the country to the cliff edge of no deal"Kudos to the brave MPs who have left the broken Conservative and Labour parties. Exclusive interview on @bbcsoutheast at 1330 Theresa May has issued a statement in response to the news that three of her MPs have left the Labour party and will join the Independent Group of eight former Labour MPs in parliament. Of course, the UK’s membership of the EU has been a source of disagreement both in our party and our country for a long time. I am determined that under my leadership the Conservative party will always offer the decent, moderate and patriotic politics that the people of this country deserve. They say the Conservative party has shifted to the right. Over in Greece, Britain’s ambassador, Kate Smith, has welcomed the news that the rights of an estimated 45,000 UK citizens living in the country will be fully protected in the event of a no-deal Brexit. “There is a substantial Greek community in the UK and a sizeable UK community in Greece and we wish for both of them to continue to enjoy fully the benefits and privileges they had before withdrawal,” Katrougalos wrote in a letter to his British counterpart, Jeremy Hunt, published by the UK government this morning. Kate Smith tweeted: “Delighted that the Greek government has confirmed that in the event of no deal the rights of UK nationals already living in Greece will be fully recognised and guaranteed, in line with the reciprocity offered by the UK to EU citizens.” (@KateSmithFCO) The letter from Minister of Foreign Affairs G. Katrougalos addressed to Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt regarding UK nationals rights after the EU Exit, is available in English: https://t.co/mUxpT1Ri6y#UKnationalsinEU