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In a typical Nigel Farage tease, the Reform UK leader has said that a “well known Labour figure” will defect to his party next week.
But who? Notice that he said a “Labour figure” rather than “Labour MP”.
That perhaps suggests he means an ex-MP or a peer. Or someone who’s both.
And after Nadhim Zahawi and Robert Jenrick this week, what about more Tory defectors.
Kemi Badenoch told Sky News she was “100% confident” there would be no more shadow cabinet defections.
In both parties, it’s fair to assume that candidates for defecting to Reform UK will be committed Brexiteers, socially conservative and – from Labour – Red Wallers or Blue Labour.
That narrows it down. In the 2016 referendum, the two most high-profile pro-Brexit Labour MPs were Kate Hoey and Gisela Stuart, both awarded a peerage by Boris Johnson and both no longer Labour.
Kate Hoey
Born in Northern Ireland, as MP for the inner London seat of Vauxhall she was a junior Home Office minister and then sports minister under Tony Blair, but later became an outspoken backbench rebel.
She was pro fox hunting, pro-Brexit, pro tougher immigration controls, pro curbs on welfare spending and grammar schools. She was against the Iraq war, Trident, tuition fees, ID cards and more LGBT+ rights.
On Brexit, she was co-chair of Labour Leave, active in Grassroots Out, alongside Mr Farage and left-wing firebrand George Galloway, and accused the BBC of being “embittered remainers”.
Asked if she’s Mr Farage’s “well known Labour figure”, she told Sky News: “Not sure I’m that well known. Haven’t been a Labour Party member for over eight years!” Not a yes or a no, then.
Gisela Stuart
Born in Germany, she was MP for the suburban seat of Birmingham Edgbaston and a junior health minister under Tony Blair. She was later chair of Vote Leave, the official pro-Brexit campaign, led by Boris Johnson and Michael…
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