Thatcher minister quits Tories in Brexit row
Falklands ally suspends membership until Cameron resigns in protest at ‘project fear’
MARGARET THATCHER’S defence secretary during the Falklands war has suspended his membership of the Conservative Party because of David Cameron’s “tirade of fear” in the EU referendum campaign.
Sir John Nott, who served in the government between 1979 and 1983, has warned that Mr Cameron and George Osborne have “poisoned the debate” with their “frenetic” warnings about the consequences of a Brexit.
In a letter to Derek Thomas, the MP who represents Sir John’s former constituency, he said he will not now renew his annual subscription to the party “until we have a change of leadership”.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Sir John, who also served as trade secretary, accused the Prime Minister and Mr Osborne of “alienating Conservatives” during the campaign.
He said that people advocating a vote to leave the EU are “not Little Englanders or quitters” – a reference to comments made this week by Mr Cameron.
His remarks came on a day on which the Prime Minister was accused of taking advantage of a crash in the Govern- ment’s voter registration website to boost support for the pro-EU movement as the deadline for signing up was extended by 48 hours.
Senior Eurosceptics warned that the Government was on the “cusp of legality” by reopening registration and that it could lead to the referendum result being contested in court.
Meanwhile, a Conservative MP was last night preparing to defect from the EU Leave campaign following its claims that staying in the EU will harm the NHS. Sarah Wollaston will today say that she now backs the case for staying in the EU, senior sources said.
Sir John Major and Tony Blair will today warn that a Brexit could threaten the existence of “the United Kingdom itself ”. The former prime ministers will use an unprecedented joint speech to warn that leaving the EU could lead to a second Scottish independence referendum as well as “instability” in Northern Ireland.
The speech will be seen as an escalation of what Eurosceptics have described as “Project Fear” tactics which have been blamed for causing a rift in the party.
Sir John Nott, 84, said: “I was shocked when Cameron and, in particular Osborne, launched into this fairly frenetic campaign in favour of the EU.
SIR JOHN MAJOR and Tony Blair will today join forces to warn that Brexit could threaten the existence of “the United Kingdom itself ”.
The two former prime minister will warn that leaving the EU will cause a second Scottish independence referendum and lead to instability in Northern Ireland. Their comments, which will be made during an appearance in Northern Ireland, will be attacked by Eurosceptics as an escalation of the Remain campaign’s “Project Fear” tactics.
The pair will say that Brexit will “throw all of the pieces of the constitutional jigsaw into the air”.
And as two of the architects of the Northern Irish peace process, Sir John and Mr Blair will say that Leave vote will “disrupt the carefully constructed constitutional balance” in the province.
Sir John will say: “I say without a shadow of doubt in my mind, that the wrong outcome on June 23 will affect our Union; and will jeopardise that unity.”
He will also warn: “If Scotland votes to stay in the European Union, but the UK as a whole chooses to leave, there is a serious risk of a new referendum.”