As we revealed on Coffee House earlier, David Cameron has now distanced himself from the ‘fruitcake’ characterisation of UKIP that he’s employed in the past. Here’s what he said:
Cameron: Well I think there are major lessons for the major political parties, for the Conservatives, I understand why some people who’ve supported us before didn’t support us again, they want us to do even more to work for hardworking people to sort out the issues they care about, more to help with the cost of living, more to turn the economy round, more to get immigration down, to sort out the welfare system. They will be our focus, they are our focus, but we have got to do more.
Interviewer: You once called UKIP fruitcakes, do you still stand by that?
Cameron: Well look, it’s no good insulting a political party that people have chosen to vote for. Of course they should be subject and they will be subject to proper scrutiny of their policies and their plans but we need to show respect for people who have taken the choice to support this party and we’re going to work really hard to win them back.
A lot of Tory MPs will be relieved that this is the end of the party leadership’s attempt to dismiss UKIP and insult natural Conservatives in the process. Some will be annoyed it took them so long, and indeed took local election losses, to realise this. But one question going forward is whether Cameron thinks that the way to respond to UKIP is to ape its policies, or to decide that voters have turned to Nigel Farage because they’re fed up with politicians in general, rather than specific issues. Certainly many Conservative MPs are pushing for a move rightwards.
Comments