William Cash

William Cash: Like Nigel Farage, I am also resigning from Ukip

On the morning of the Referendum vote, I texted Nigel Farage – as the Heritage and Tourism spokesman of his party –  to say he ‘had fought a hard battle and deserved to win’. He texted back: ‘One dares to hope’.

Like most of the best English people I know Nigel has a strong sense of loyalty and decency and also loves a drink. He doesn’t take himself – or politics –  that seriously. Like Jimmy Goldsmith he gave up a business career to fight his cause. He only pursued his convictions so hard because he believed in leaving the autocratic and anti-sovereign EU  – and risking the opprobrium of many – regardless of career or any financial rewards.

Well, now he has resigned from Ukip, and I have decided to follow his example. I wish the party well although I fear that it may be heading in an Enoch Powellian ‘far right’ direction. The fact that Suzanne Evans is not even able to stand as leader because of her suspension (due to her progressive views on gay rights) tells you everything you need to know about the current state of Ukip.

That is not for me. Nigel will be remembered by history as a politician of more importance than Cameron, Osborne or any other Coalition era figure. His greatest quality is his ability to be classless. If Ukip veers towards the anti-immigrant, anti-gay right, that was not what I signed up for. It’s not why I fell out with my father Bill Cash  – who was worried at the time that a vote for Ukip would split the Tory vote – and accepted Nigel’s invitation to become Heritage and Tourism spokesman for Ukip two years ago.

When historians look back on the last twenty five years, Nigel Farage is going to be looked on as a radical in the tradition of John Bright and John Wilkes. A

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