The Brexit party general election campaign officially launched this morning at a press conference in London
Party chairman Richard Tice MEP opened the launch saying:
“We stand on a simple slogan: Change politics for good.
And changing politics needs to start here.
In this stinking, rotten borough of Westminster.”
He also said:
“The shambles of the parliamentary games here in Westminster in recent weeks and months, highlights the need for major political reform.
And it’s only the Brexit party that can be trusted on that political reform.”
There is two weeks to put together a Leave alliance and it has to be done. pic.twitter.com/3KHJmNUh9z
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) November 1, 2019
The young political party – formed only this January – took 29 seats at the European Parliament elections in May.
This included two London constituencies.
More than 400,000 Londoners voted for Nigel Farage’s hard-Brexit backing party at that election.
But the Lib Dems won three seats with the backing of more than 600,000 London voters.
In a ferocious attack on the prime minister Boris Johnson, party leader Mr Farage said:
“We have two weeks to form a leave alliance.
The risk of the vote being split is very real.”
Richard Tice says the electoral system is “corrupt” and open to “huge abuse”. Specifically referencing postal voting in Peterborough by-election. pic.twitter.com/GQig7ow8AL
— John Johnston (@johnjohnstonmi) November 1, 2019
He referred to the Peterborough by-election held on June 6.
Labour won the East of England seat despite most voters backing the leave-supporting Tory and Brexit parties.
The Tories and the Brexit party took over 50% of the popular vote in that by-election.
The 55-year-old and one-time United Kingdom Independence Party leader told reporters:
“It [Peterborough] could have gone to leavers but went to remainers. They [the Conservatives] need to understand the logic of a pact.”
He also said that Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University and political scientist Sir John Curtis had said that “the mathematics of this works.”
Mr Tice, who co-founded Leave.EU with controversial UKIP donor Aaron Banks, also said:
“We need electoral reform. The first-past-the-post … disenfranchises millions and millions of voters up and down the country.”
We need to #ChangePoliticsForGood. To do that, we need electoral reform. pic.twitter.com/dPoQEjwGcQ
— The Brexit Party (@brexitparty_uk) November 1, 2019
Asked if he would rather see a “Remain party” win the election and stay in the EU, than have the Tories win and implement the PM’s deal, Mr Farage told talkRadio:
“This is probably our best chance and maybe our last chance of actually getting a genuine Brexit delivered.”
He said that in the event of Mr Johnson’s “treaty going through” there would inevitably be a second referendum.
“I’m offering a way forward that if Boris Johnson takes, he’ll win and win with a big majority.
If he chooses not to do it, then we’ll stand in every seat across the country. That’s where we are.”
The South East England MEP also said he would stand candidates against the Tories if Mr Johnson’s “terms” for a pact with the Brexit party was to “accept the deal”.
Words: Scott Mathew | Subbing: Michelle Del Rey | Featured image credit: Adobe Stock