Farage: Tory tactics look a bit fishy
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JEREMY Corbyn has almost “zero chance” of winning a Commons majority at the General Election, a leading polling expert said yesterday.
Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said Labour’s loss of its former heartland territory in Scotland meant a hung parliament was the opposition leader’s best hope on December 12. He also said current opinion polls put Boris Johnson on course for a big enough majority to pass his Brexit deal after the election. But he warned the Tories could still stumble before voting opens. Sir John, whose exit polls for the BBC have accurately forecast the final result of recent national votes, was briefing political journalists atWestminster yesterday. He said previous Labour majorities had been won with the help of the party’s historic overwhelming dominance in Scotland. But the SNP had
NIGEL Farage last night threatened to report the Conservative Party to the police for allegedly promising peerages to Brexit Party candidates who quit.
The party leader claimed his 300 election hopefuls had been bombarded with thousands of phone calls and messages urging them to stand down before yesterday’s nominations deadline.
In a video message Mr Farage, who was yesterday visiting Hull and Grimsby, claimed: “There are lots of peerages being offered. This is full-on Venezuelan style wiped out the party north of the border at the 2015 election and there was little sign of a revival.
He continued: “The chances of the Labour Party winning a majority are frankly as close to zero as one can safely say it to be, given that they look to be incapable of regaining anything in Scotland.”
Sir John said: “Corbyn starts off in a slightly worse position than he did last time. By the end of the (2017) election, (Mr Corbyn) almost has as many people thinking he was doing a corruption.” He added: “Even Boris Johnson’s Chief Strategic Adviser Sir Edward Lister is calling our candidates and offering them jobs if they withdraw. The system is corrupt and broken.”
Express columnist and MEP Ann Widdecombe, the party’s candidate in Plymouth Sutton, said she had received two phone calls from 10 Downing Street urging her to quit.
She said: “They have been ringing up putting huge pressure on me.”
Mr Farage’s outburst came as good job as doing a bad job. But it’s all gone. He’s starting back from where he was and that doesn’t make it any easier for the Labour Party to win votes.”
Pointing at the current opinion polls, he said: “With a 10-point lead, however you look at it, if that were to transpire in the ballot box, it must be highly likely that the Conservatives will get an overall majority of a size sufficient to enable them to get the withdrawal treaty through.”
But he warned: “Below six or seven points points, the odds swing in favour of a hung parliament.”
He continued: “Boris starts off with as many disapproving as approving. I think he is the most unpopular new prime minister in polling history.
“That’s essentially, of course, basically because Boris is loved by Brexiteers and he is hated by Remainers, so he is Marmite.
“The Boris Johnson we have now is very firmly regarded as the person who is responsible for Brexit and is now trying to deliver Brexit and Remain voters regard him accordingly.” two Brexit Party candidates dramatically stood down in key marginal seats.
Rupert Lowe refused to stand in Dudley North, and Andy Wood withdrew as Mr Farage’s candidate in Hove.
Last night the Brexit Party’s candidate in the Labour-held marginal of Canterbury also appeared to have decided not to run.
A Conservative party source confirmed last night Sir Edward did make a call to one candidate urging them to stand down. But a Downing Street spokesman insisted “no jobs or peerages have been offered”.