UKIP: Lord Pearson’s betrayal

Pearson to personally campaign for Labour in Stroud!

The farce continues.

Pearson’s contempt for UKIP’s membership has to be seen to be believed.

Lord Pearson will actually be campaigning with David Drew and Labour activists in Stroud on Thursday.

They will be handing out leaflets which urge UKIP voters to support Drew. An example can be found here:

http://www.thestraightchoice.org/full.php?q=2270#l5479

David Drew is not in favour of leaving the EU. He believes that the EU can be ‘reformed’.

Pearson is also set to take to the streets with Tories Philip Hollobone in Kettering, Northamptonshire, and Philip Davies in Shipley, West Yorkshire, and will back Mark Reckless in Rochester and Strood in Kent on Friday.

This move must signal the end of UKIP as a serious alternative to the old party system. Farage and Pearson’s decision to support Labour and Tory candidates is a complete and utter betrayal of UKIP's manifesto and their supporters.

How can UKIP be taken seriously when the leadership is prepared to stand down candidates and actively campaign for parties that are committed to keeping Britain in the EU?

More on Pearson’s betrayal of UKIP PPCs in the South West.

You will recall that Pearson has urged the voters of Wells, Somerton & Frome and Taunton Deane to ignore UKIP’s own candidates. Pearson wants UKIP supporters to back the Conservatives in those constituencies.

Pearson didn’t even see fit to inform his PPCs before sending the letter to the media in Somerset!

See: LINK

UKIPPERS in the area are rightly livid and are now fighting back.

UKIP South West is in meltdown.

We have the ridiculous situation where UKIP’s leadership are telling voters not to vote for their own candidates and to vote for the Tory candidates. Simultaneously, we have UKIP candidates telling the public to ignore what Pearson has said and to vote for them!

From the Worcester News:

A row has broken out between UK Independence Party (Ukip) members and their leader after the life peer asked electors to vote against his own party.

Members of Ukip's South West Regional Committee said they were "at odds" with Lord Pearson of Rannoch after he wrote to a media group urging voters not to support his party in three Somerset constituencies.

The committee said Lord Pearson had a "long-held belief" that Ukip should not stand against eurosceptic candidates in other parties.

As a result, he has asked constituents in Wells, Somerton & Frome, and Taunton Deane to back the Conservatives.

The statement from the Ukip South West Regional Committee said: "The UK Independence Party in the South West has the greatest respect for our leader, Lord Malcolm Pearson, and regret finding ourselves at odds with him over one vital area of his policy.

"Lord Pearson has written to media outlets in the region with the message that he does not want people to support his own party in three Somerset constituencies but to give their support to the Conservatives.

"We understand that Lord Pearson has long held this belief that Ukip should not stand against eurosceptic candidates in other parties."

The statement said that, during a visit to Bristol in April, Lord Pearson, 67, was confronted by more than 50 Ukip candidates who did not agree with this policy.

It went on: "Regrettably, Lord Pearson has chosen to ignore this firm and clearly expressed decision and has taken the step of asking the electors to vote against his own party.

"The South West Regional Committee has once again endorsed the decision to ignore Lord Pearson on this policy matter and will fight the seats in Wells, Taunton Dean and Somerton & Frome”.

To see the original: LINK

It is interesting to note that Pearson is a personal friend of the Rees-Mogg’s. Annunziata Rees-Mogg is the Conservative candidate in Somerton and Frome. What a strange coincidence!

And why is UKIP so keen to support Heathcoat-Amery in Wells? Wasn’t he the MP who claimed £29,691.93 for gardening and cleaning? He was later forced to pay it back. Hardly the sort of person that UKIP should be supporting!

But what are we saying? At least he didn’t claim £2 million in expenses like a certain UKIP MEP called Nigel Farage!

And would Pearson like to explain why he wants UKIP to stand aside for untried Conservative candidates in Taunton Deane and Somerton and Frome.? We know that one of them is a family friend but does that really make it right? They are loyal to David Cameron and his ‘vision’ of Europe. Does he really think that they would have got though Cameron's selection process if they were truly regarded as anti-EU rebels?

Niall Warry of the Independent Leave-the-EU Alliance is standing in Somerton and Frome. He was, until recently, a UKIP member.

This is what he had to say:

STOP PRESS –PRESS RELEASE – STOP PRESS!

Niall Warry of the INDEPENDENT Leave-the-EU Alliance standing in Somerton and Frome has told us of an interesting election development.

Apparently the leader of UKIP Lord Pearson has written to the Mid Somerset News and Media Group to say he is advising UKIPPERS in Wells, Somerton and Frome and Taunton Deane to support the conservative candidates.

Niall Warry said “ I believe this typifies the problem with ‘Party politics’ and I sympathise with Barry Harding, the UKIP candidate in Somerton and Frome, who has clearly been stabbed in the front by his leader.

Niall Warry added that as an INDEPENDENT he would always put the wished of his constituents and country first as he had no party loyalties to get in the way. He urged all potential UKIP voters to vote for him as he was 100% committed to a policy of leaving the EU.

Contact details are:
T: 01749 831546
M: 07957 87 20 74
E: Niall@Warry.go-plus.net
W: INDEPENDENT Leave-the-EU