Whispers abound that David Cameron and UK Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage have made a highly dubious non-agression pact. The rest of UKIP are unaware that Farage intends to sell them down the river.
Farage has agreed with Cameron that UKIP will withdraw their candidates from the Tories' top 40 target seats in exchange for 'assistance' in unseating John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, in his Buckingham seat. Farage has also intimated to Cameron that if he does not win against Bercow he will abandon UKIP and join the Tories. Cameron is apparently mulling over how he can give Farage a peerage if he delivers on his deal.
Despite a long-standing convention that the Speaker is outside of party politics, and not challenged for re-election, Farage has broken the convention and is standing against him. He will thus be the only 'credible' alternative candidate as Labour and the Tories won't be contesting the seat.
It appears that Cameron is very happy to covertly back Farage so as to get at Bercow, who many Tories suspect of being a fellow-traveller of the Blairites. There are suggestions that Farage has got some financial information that may be embarasing for Bercow and could be used in a dirty-tricks campaing at the general election.
Friday, February 12, 2010
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Oh dear; utter rubbish. If you had watched the BBC's Daily Politics report on Buckingham today, you would have heard that David Cameron is giving John Bercow his public, personal backing for re-election.
ReplyDeleteCameron does not want Farage or UKIP anywhere near the House of Commons. No conspiracy theory here. Next time some simple fact-finding would set you straight.
Fair point Michael, however convention dictates that David Cameon can do nothing except what he has done publicly. The knives are already out for Bercow on the Tory benches has been too great to resist so far AND the temptation of removing the threat of UKIP from their top 40 target seats is proving too tempting. Hence negotiations between Farage's office and Cameron's people continue apace.
ReplyDeleteIGNORE EARLIER COMMENT full of typos
ReplyDeleteFair point Michael, however convention dictates that David Cameron can do nothing except what he has done publicly. The knives are already out for Bercow on the Tory benches and there is a plot to unseat him after the gebneral election, if he wins Buckingham.
AND the temptation of removing the threat of UKIP from their top 40 target seats is proving too tempting to resist. Hence negotiations between Farage's office and Cameron's people continue apace.