Tory MP defects to Labour

[srb7677]

Wakeford only won by 400 votes.

What was he expecting, a f**king bonus?

Winning a marginal seat by a few hundred votes is a far greater achievement than winning a safe seat by a few thousand. Because it does tend to be seats like the former which decide elections, not the latter.

[Borchester]

Quoting myself so I can reply / update . . .

Yes there is a link - he was on the radio claiming that funding to his constituency was under threat.

Wakeford only won by 400 votes.

What was he expecting, a fucking bonus?

[HDQQ]

1) Reports from within Tory party that anti-Johnson MPs are being threatened.

2) Tory MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour.

One wonders if there's any link between 1) and 2).

Quoting myself so I can reply / update . . .

Yes there is a link - he was on the radio claiming that funding to his constituency was under threat.

[johnofgwent]

From listening to the voters on the news (almost all given airtime were heavily labour but this was the biased BBC) everyone interviewed said they reckoned Boris has blown it, I think they might actually vote for their renegade !!

[HDQQ]

1) Reports from within Tory party that anti-Johnson MPs are being threatened.

2) Tory MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour.

One wonders if there's any link between 1) and 2).

[johnofgwent]

My post did not make it....

Barry, while you probably express the opinion of many voters, in law you are wrong. A Westminster MP goes to parliament as the man (or woman) not the party.

When you elect an MP, you elect a person and charge them to go to Westminster and there govern or LOYALLY oppose according to their best judgement and conscience exercising both in a way they consider in their electors best interests.

As long as this renegade turncoat can sleep at night after stating his remaining as their MP is in their best interests, he is fully entitled to stay put.

Alan Howarth was our MP for Newport East, he got the seat at as a reward from Blair for crossing the floor in Stratford. Labour sheep voted to keep him three times. He only went when Blair demanded a woman have the seat.

We do not even vote for the party when we vote on a party list. Mohammed The Bribe Taker Asghar demanded a bung to stay a Plaid AM and when plaids leader said no he took the Tory whip. As he was an am on a regional.list party ticket there was uproar but the Tw** who wrote the Constitution himself a rabid cottage burner was brought to the chamber to admit a list success who changed whip could not be sacked for it.

[srb7677]

Will Bury South Labour supporters vote for this guy just because he has changed the colour of his T-shirt?
Will the local Labour party select him as their candidate. Everyone likes a winner, but the thing people hate most is a turncoat as they can't be trusted.
He'll never be an MP after this parliament and he now sits in it under false pretences.

Having had several years of experience on the inside of a local Labour party, I can tell you that local party members tend to hate having people chosen by others imposed upon them. Especially ones who have recently voted for things like the cuts to universal credit, as he has.

Under the current circumstances though, this guy was already an elected MP. He is not going to step down. Since were he not sitting as a Labour MP, he'd be a Tory or an independent or something, but crucially would still be there as the local MP, quite a few of the local party members there will still see this as a positive development. Better to have him inside the tent on their side pissing out than outside the tent pissing in. But come the next election the local party will want to choose their own candidate. 

But power is being removed from local Labour parties and being replaced by diktats from the top. So the local party might end up being stuck with him, and it will be for the local electorate to decide whether he stays or goes.

I will point out though that one of our greatest and most respected politicians - Winston Churchill - crossed the floor not once but twice. He still always seemed to manage to get elected.

[B0ycey]

Sounds good.

So the bet is 20 pounds each on Boris being PM after 2024. You and Pappy pay up if he is and I pay up if he ain't.

You are on.

I thought the bet was Wakeford retaining his seat? BoJo winning the 2024 is confidence on your part. And sure, the bet is on. But I am not posting details online. That was a joke. But even so I guess we have two years to come up with how you're going to be paying me and pappy 

[Barry]

Boris might have an accident before 2024.

This forum might not exist by then. Borchester might have an allotment accident. You might succumb to your several co-morbidities. B0ycey might be outed as Kier Starmer. A pig might fly.

Or 5 more might defect to Labour, but no-one knows which 5.

[papasmurf]

Sounds good.

So the bet is 20 pounds each on Boris being PM after 2024. You and Pappy pay up if he is and I pay up if he ain't.

You are on.

Boris might have an accident before 2024.

[Borchester]

No problem. I will just post the details on this thread. There clearly is no harm in that.

Sounds good.

So the bet is 20 pounds each on Boris being PM after 2024. You and Pappy pay up if he is and I pay up if he ain't.

You are on.

[Barry]

Will Bury South Labour supporters vote for this guy just because he has changed the colour of his T-shirt?
Will the local Labour party select him as their candidate. Everyone likes a winner, but the thing people hate most is a turncoat as they can't be trusted.
He'll never be an MP after this parliament and he now sits in it under false pretences.

[HDQQ]

It's a blow to the Tories and a symptom that we have a government in chaos, but with a big majority and 3 years left in office. Not good.

Usually, when an MP crosses the floor, they explain that it's not their own political beliefs that have changed but those of the party they've just left. I don't think this applies in this case - this government has turned out exactly as one might have expected from the moment in 2016 when Boris Johnson decided that supporting Brexit could fast-track him into No.10.

[B0ycey]

You send me your bank details and I look after it 

No problem. I will just post the details on this thread. There clearly is no harm in that. 

[cromwell]

Don't know how that is going to work with two Internet users who don't know each other, but I have no issue taking away your cash given the outrage right now and BoJo is hanging on come what May.

You send me your bank details and I look after it