Tag: Totnes

In recent weeks, many of her Totnes constituents have received Facebook messages from the rightwing businessman and Ukip backer Arron Banks’s Leave.EU campaign, describing the MP as “Slippery Sarah” and urging supporters of Brexit to join the local Conservative association – and then deselect her. The Totnes association has seen a jump in applications for membership and Wollaston is preparing for a fight. “I have huge respect for the fact that Sarah is one of those politicians who put their constituents and the greater good first. Others targeted include the former home secretary Amber Rudd, who has backed the idea of a people’s vote rather than no deal, and Anna Soubry, who champions a soft Brexit. At the end of last month the blue wave sent attack ads to Devon in which it claimed: “54% in Totnes voted leave but Sarah Wollaston wants a second referendum ... Totnes deserves better than Slippery Sarah. Join the local Tories and deselect her.” It got nastier during a rally at the Tory conference when Boris Johnson ally Conor Burns suggested the Brexit campaigner Darren Grimes, the founder of the campaign group BeLeave, should try for Wollaston’s seat, saying: “Have a look down in Totnes, you’d be brilliant.” Burns and Grimes later brushed it off as a joke but Wollaston is certainly taking the threats seriously, claiming a “purple wave” – a reference to the Ukip colours – rather than a blue one was in danger of damaging the party. If people apply to join the party, they can’t turn them away without good reason. She was elected on the Tory manifesto and that's not what she's doing now Ceri Jayes, Totnes Ukip branch chair If Totnes is full of Wollaston supporters who don’t like the campaign, the fishing town of Brixham, also within the constituency, has a good few critics. “People have voted for Brexit for good reasons,” he said. If that threshold is reached an open contest has to be held, in which other candidates as well as the sitting MP can stand.