‘Opponents taking extreme positions on Europe’
UKIP LEADER Paul Nuttall has denied suggestions that the Tories’ hard Brexit agenda has undermined his party’s hold on heartlands in the North, as he revealed he is prepared to be “ruthless” in his efforts to target prospective seats.
Speaking to following the launch of Ukip’s 2017 manifesto, the North West MEP admitted that party was guilty of a “scattergun” approach in 2015, but would not make the same mistake this time round.
Mr Nuttall also dismissed suggestions his party is losing its relevance to voters in a post-Brexit world, as he warned a large Tory majority in June would allow Theresa May to “backslide” on issues like immigration and EU payments.
In contrast, anyone backing a Ukip MP “can be damn sure they will campaign for what... people voted for on June 24”.
“I think the point we’ve got to get across is actually in many ways a whopping Tory majority is not necessarily going to be good for Brexit,” Mr Nuttall said. “I’m not convinced we won’t go down the line of a soft Brexit. Theresa May campaigned to remain, [and] we know Philip Hammond isn’t necessarily keen on Brexit himself.
“At the moment she’s beholden to around 50 clean Brexiteers [but] if the Tories get a huge majority we will begin to see them backslide on immigration... on a membership fee [and] I think they’ll sell out our fishing communities.”
Unveiling the party’s General Election platform yesterday, the five-time Parliamentary hopeful confirmed he will be making his sixth attempt to get elected to the Commons. He is expected to announce where he will be standing at a campaign rally later today.
He also confirmed reports that the party will not run candidates in seats where the incumbent MP is long-standing Brexiteer. But he stressed this will only be in a handful of areas – “we are talking in tens of seats, not hundreds” – where the sitting MP has a slim majority.
Asked which Yorkshire constituencies are considered prime targets, Mr Nuttall said there are seats in the region “we are interested in” but refused to name specifics. He also refused to identify constituencies where the party is prepared to stand aside for a proBrexit Tory, claiming all will be revealed when the full candidate list is published next week.
But despite reports that the party is struggling to find enough hopefuls to run in June, he expressed optimism that Ukip will do well at the election. Blaming the party’s disappointing performance in 2015 on a “scattergun” approach, he says Ukip will “really drill down” to “get over the line in a number of seats”.
“The one thing we’ve learned from the 2015 elections is that there are no prizes for second place,” he said. “What we will be doing in this election, is we will be targeting – and targeting ruthlessly – to ensure that we can get more people up than we did in 2015.”
The Ukip leader’s comments come amid an ongoing row over the party’s controversial calls to ban the burkha and introduce mandatory health checks for girls at risk of female genital mutilation.
Making a fresh defence of the so-called Integration Agenda, Mr Nuttall claimed history will prove him right on the need to take a “radical” approach to Islamic extremism.
Asked whether he will take an equally tough stance on rightwing extremism – particularly in light of the murder of Jo Cox and death threats against other MPs – he pointed out it was under his chairmanship that Ukip banned former members of groups like Britain First. LABOUR’S SHADOW Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has accused the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats of taking “extreme” positions on the UK’s future relationship with the European Union.
Sir Keir claimed Labour was offering a flexible approach which prioritised jobs and the economy.
He set out Labour’s Brexit plan earlier this week but his party’s approach has been criticised for being unclear over immigration and future membership of the European single market.
Speaking during an election campaign visit in Morley, Sir Keir said: “We have not been extreme, that’s for sure.
“The Prime Minister has said ‘I want all options off the table before I start the negotiations’.
“That is a rigid position and it means she hasn’t really got very much wriggle-room, she hasn’t got flexibility in the negotiations.”
Labour has wrestled with Brexit since the referendum last year with the vast majority of MPs supporting remaining in the EU but many also representing constituencies which voted to leave.
Sir Keir said: “I think it is really important that we all focus on what is in the best interests of the country, the best interests of Britain, and taking an extreme position on the one hand of out, out, out of anything that has got European in the title or on the other hand with the Lib Dems saying change nothing, rub out yesterday, that is not the way to achieve the best outcome for the country.
“The best way to achieve the best outcome for the country is to be smart and to be flexible and they means you keep options on the table and you negotiate from a position of strength.”
Sir Keir was visiting Brandon Medical, a specialist manufacturer of hospital lighting in Morley which employs more than 50 people and exports products around the world.