Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COUNTDOWN I have lost all faith in the party TO TWO CRUCIAL BY-ELECTIONS
EXCLUSIVE A FORMER soldier bidding to eliminate Boris Johnson from the political battlefield said yesterday a crunch by-election could topple the Prime Minister.
Ex-army Major Richard Foord, 44, has planted his tanks firmly on the Tory lawn for the fight triggered by tractor porn shame MP Neil Parish’s resignation.
Lib Dem Mr Foord, who served in Iraq and the Balkans with the Adjutant General’s Corps, is ready to fight hard for the Tiverton and Honiton ballot.
It is one of two polls on June 23 that Tory insiders fear could plunge the PM’S Partygate-impaled premiership into deeper peril, if he survives that long.
The dad-of-three is attempting to overturn the Conservatives’ 24,239 majority in the safe Devon seat.
Combined with an expected Labour victory in Wakefield, West Yorks, triumph would pile pressure on Tory rebels to demand a confidence vote in Mr Johnson.
OPPORTUNITY
Dozens of MPS have written to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady calling for a ballot. Once he gets 54 letters, a contest must be triggered. The threshold could be crossed next week.
Mr Foord said: “Johnson’s Government is now on the edge, a no-confidence vote appears to be in the offing.
“A lot of Conservative opinion will crystallise in opposition to Johnson if we can achieve a win here.”
He added: “If the 54 letters aren’t in by June 23, we feel pretty certain they will be on June 24 if we can pull off victory.
“There’s definitely an awareness that he’s in a very precarious position.
“It’s quite a rare opportunity, there are 650 constituencies and only two have by-elections on June 23. We are privileged to be speaking for the country and we can really have a massive effect.”
The ballot, three weeks today, comes after Mr Parish admitted twice watching porn in the Commons. The first time he claimed he was looking for tractors online.
Mr Foord said voters appreciate the speed with which Mr Parish accepted his career was over. “There’s a kind of grudging respect for
VOTERS’ VERDICT
VOTERS on Honiton’s streets told how they were preparing to ditch the Tories in the by-election.
Yesterday betting shop boss
Julie Garland, 56, below right, said: “Boris isn’t handling things very well, he seems to be lying about a lot of things. I voted Tory before but I’m not on June 23.”
Nursery assistant Naomi Bowman, 21, below left, added: “Me and my mum have always voted Conservative but the way he has been lately we have changed our opinions, mainly because of the parties. I was disgusted about Neil Parish watching pornography. “I think I will vote Lib Dem.”
Ben Totten, 18, a sixth-form student who will vote in his first election, said: “I’m not too sure who I will vote for but I’m not going to vote Conservative.
“I don’t think the Prime Minister is very intelligent.”
Paul Espiritu, 29, a kitchen assistant, below right, said: “I’m thinking about going for the Liberal Democrats.
“I have lost confidence in the Conservatives.”
David Parr, 72, a retired gardener, said: “Boris has done his best but the cost of living has gone up for everybody and I think it’s going to get worse.”
But gas engineer
Tim Avery, 66, said: “I think Boris is brilliant, he comes out with it as it is.
“I’m not bothered about the parties in Downing Street, I still think he’s got good ideas. I’ve always voted
Tory and I will again.” the fact Parish resigned quickly – that contrasts with the PM who is clinging on by his fingertips and refusing to do the decent thing and resign,” said Mr Foord. “The strong feeling the PM is a
The strong feeling the PM is a liar is affecting voting here
liar is something that’s absolutely affecting voting intention here.
“There’s a lot of disappointment – some people who were supportive of the Government and Johnson in 2019 feel very let down by the PM.” Mr
Foord’s mother died from cancer during the pandemic.
The family could not help his father care for her at home in her last days. “This was six weeks prior to the ABBA party in October 2020,” said Mr Foord.
He wants to win the seat “out of a public service ethic”.
“I served in the Army for more than 10 years and I’d really now like to serve people here in Devon,” he said. “There are an awful lot of parallels between serving in the Armed Forces and serving as an MP.”
The Lib Dems used to call the South West their heartlands, but they have not had an MP south or west of Bath since their 2015 election disaster.
“Devon has been taken for granted by the Conservatives,” he said. “People are ready to vote differently.
“We’ve got a mountain to climb but what I’m hearing is momentum is building in support of Liberal Democrats. It is doable, but it’s going to require a whole lot more work yet.”