Former chairman of the Wakefield Conservative Association David Herdson has said he’s quit the party over Boris Johnson’s threat of a no deal Brexit.
Wakefield, represented in Parliament by Labour’s Mary Creagh since 2005, was a target seat for the Conservatives at the 2017 general election. The Wakefield district voted 66.3% to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.
In a stinging resignation statement, Herdson said Brexit had become a “revolutionary ideology unworthy of the Conservative Party,” which he said would have counter-productive political and social consequences if delivered in “a harsh manner”.
The former Tory councillor also said Boris Johnson’s “obsession” with leaving the EU on 31 October made a no deal exit “all but certain”. He said he thought no deal would be “deeply damaging to the economy and community cohesion”.
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Herdson also attacked Dominic Cummings’ appointment to the heart of government, saying it was “an indication that good, stable government is not valued”.
The former chairman also hit out at “grotesque” suggestions Boris Johnson could ignore a vote of no confidence in his government. Herdson said:
“It’s one of the most striking examples yet of how little this government values the conventions of politics that keep debate within sensible bounds and ensures wide buy-in to the legitimacy of the system. We ignore these conventions at our peril: once broken, they no longer protect anyone.”
David Herdson’s full resignation statement can be found here.
