You can often tell a lot about people, not by what they say but how they say it. Three weeks ago, I appealed to you to help me make up my mind, as a lifelong Tory, as to how to vote in Boston and Skegness, the constituency in which I live. Many of you kindly responded. Nearly all had a tone of slight despair, much mistrust and a smattering of anger.
As far as my experience goes, Reform is the Church of Nigel
The two main protagonists in my piece also contacted me. First was Matt Warman, the local Conservative candidate who is defending a 25,000 majority. Warman, as I wrote in my piece, seemed to be one of those blancmange types who could have been moulded in the Labour party or the slightly more liberal end of the Lib Dems. His message opened with: ‘Hello – trust all well. Blancmange here.’ I thought this a humorous and very British response. He went on to suggest we have a chat as I might find ‘a small-state, low tax Tory who thinks the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is fundamentally broken.’ So far, so reassuring.
When I spoke to Warman, the One Nation ‘blancmange’ I had bemoaned on these pages was crystal clear on the Tories failings, right back to Cameron, and the need for bold leadership:
‘There is a reason Maggie won so many elections: people knew what she stood for. That is an absolute requirement of the next Conservative leader. [They need] boldness of ideas not just pragmatism.’
But what sort of ideas might Warman support? In his own words, Warman believes the Conservative party needs to make Conservative arguments: ‘small state, low taxes, personal freedom and freedom of speech. You need to be brave and we are not.’
Richard Tice, erstwhile leader of Reform and my local candidate, also messaged me. ‘Hello! Speccie article fun! You should vote for me! Huge response and great chance of winning!’ There was no suggestion we should speak. His email felt as vacuous as the Lib Dems’ ‘winning here’ strategy.
I lean towards representatives who want to discuss their policies and principles, not hubris. But Reform is designed to be top down, with no party democracy and no influence from the supporters. I should know: I used to be a Brexit party MEP with Nigel Farage and Richard Tice. Dissent from any level of the party was not tolerated. As far as my experience goes, Reform is the Church of Nigel, as both Richard Tice – who despite providing 80 per cent of Reform funding was deposed as leader – and Tony Mack – who was unceremoniously replaced by Farage as the candidate for Clacton – must know.
There is nothing cowardly about Reform’s platform. It courts controversy and relishes being the anti-establishment voice. So, how does Tice want to deliver the bold vision of nationalising half of key utility companies, guaranteeing private GP appointments and increasing both wages and tax allowances? He immediately admits he can’t: perhaps a grain of reality is creeping in. Of course he blames our electoral structure, whilst acknowledging his impotence.
Tice’s desired outcome is to ‘realign the right’. I support the right working together for the best interests of our country. I believe in the same small state, low tax, personal freedom both my Reform and Conservative candidates profess to want. But how can we get there? Unfortunately, this is where we return to the hubris, you may call it arrogance, of Tice. His stated aim to destroy the Tories remains unabated. He believes that the Conservative party’s ‘Old English money’ donors will move to Reform and the Tories will be ‘begging for money in six months’:
‘On 5 July, whoever is left [on the right of the Conservative Party] will pick up the phone. It is for them to call us.’
But even the most dire polls show the Tory party reduced to 50-150 MPs, with a large and empowered rump from the right of the party. Meanwhile, the most optimistic polls for Reform keep them in single digit territory. It is hard to see the far larger group of real Conservatives going cap in hand to the Tory hating, Nigel fan club. The Tory loathing rhetoric from Reform only kicks a successful right of centre into the long grass. That will damage all our futures.
To save our country from economic and social disaster, we need to unite the right. We need to have candidates such as my brother, Jacob, in Somerset, and Matt Warman here in Boston and Skegness, re-elected to lead the charge to a small state with low taxes, personal freedom and responsibility. That is something we can hold them to account on in the ballot box, as well as through our membership rights. Neither of which will be true for Reform.
Quizzing my candidates has been enlightening. The blancmange is actually one of substance, the challenger full of self-import and an admission he can’t change anything. I will be voting Conservative on 4 July, to reclaim the right and minimise Labour’s ability to destroy our wonderful country.
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