Richard Tice, leader of the Reform UK party, has emphasized that Conservative MPs have not been given financial incentives to switch parties. This statement comes in response to allegations that MP Lee Anderson was offered a large sum of money in the previous month.
Last month, Anderson, who serves as MP for Ashfield and is one of the deputy chairs for the Conservative party, was caught on tape telling Tory supporters: “I was offered a significant amount of money to join a political party that starts with an R. And I mean a substantial amount of money.”
The leaked recording, obtained by the Sunday Times, was from a “lagers with Lee” meeting at Cambridge rugby club, hosted by the South Cambridgeshire Conservative Association, during which Anderson said Reform would win “zero seats” at the next election.
Tice, the leader of the Reform party, denied the allegations and stated that he has had many conversations with several Conservative Members of Parliament, government officials, and former officials who are extremely angry about the government’s broken promises. They are also furious about their inability to prevent boat arrivals and the decision to allow large-scale immigration.
However, during an interview with BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, he stated, “I want to make it completely clear that no money or cash has been offered in any capacity. What has been proposed is the opportunity to alter the course of the discussion.”
Tice alleged that Anderson leveraged the possibility of defecting to Reform in order to secure the position of deputy chairman. Anderson has been contacted for a response.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Simon Hart, the Conservative chief whip, had brought allegations against Reform UK to the Commons speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle. The allegations claimed that the party had promised MPs who defected a full salary for five years, even if they were not re-elected.
According to reports, Hart emphasized that Tories were being tempted with bribes of over £400,000 to switch parties.
The Conservative party announced on Saturday evening that it has 10 deputy chairs, which includes Rachel Maclean, who was removed from her position as housing minister, and Sara Britcliffe, the youngest Tory MP elected at 24 years old in the 2019 election.
The Conservative party is cognizant of the danger presented by the rebranded Reform UK, formerly known as the Brexit party. Rishi Sunak cautioned dissatisfied Conservative supporters, stating, “Voting for any party other than the Conservatives is essentially a vote for Keir Starmer to become Prime Minister.”
The chief secretary to the Treasury, Laura Trott, expressed similar sentiments to his remarks and stated that she is not concerned about Reform UK surpassing her party.
The political party Reform UK, formerly known as the Brexit party and led by Nigel Farage, has not had any Members of Parliament (MPs) in the past. In the upcoming weeks, Reform will reveal numerous candidates in an effort to capitalize on growing support for their goal of “destroying” the Conservative party.
Despite potentially dividing the conservative vote, Tice has declared that all Conservative candidates will be challenged by a Reform party candidate in the upcoming general election. He has rejected the idea of replicating the 2019 agreement where the Brexit party did not run in over 300 seats held by the Tories, after Boris Johnson promised a strict Brexit.
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In a recorded conversation, Anderson informed activists that the Conservative party was not flawless and expressed his dislike for using the slogan “the opposition is worse than us” during campaigning. He cautioned them that choosing to vote for the Reform party would ultimately benefit the Labour party.
I had a conversation with the Reform leaders, who are advocating for PR. They are determined and insist on our party facing defeat in the upcoming election. Their only goal is to gain some influence in parliament.
During the Reform party convention, Farage and Tice both criticized the Conservatives for adopting their stance on immigration in words only, without following through with actions. They have positioned the Reform party as a viable option for those on the right side of the Conservative party who supported leaving the EU in the 2016 referendum.
Farage has been attempting to attract TV audiences through his appearance on the reality program I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!.
In recent byelections, Reform UK has received a small percentage of the votes. According to a recent YouGov survey, voters who previously supported the Conservatives in the 2019 election were more inclined to switch to Reform rather than Labour. It has been suggested that these switchers may have caused the Conservative party to lose the recent byelection in Mid Bedfordshire, which was won by Sunak’s party.
Source: theguardian.com
