TIG unveils its EU election candidates including Boris Johnson’s sister, ex-BBC presenter Gavin Esler and Remainer barrister Twitter personality who warns about the ‘demise of democracy’
- Change UK, set up by MPs known as TIGgers, launched EU campaign in Bristol
- Mr Esler, who left the BBC after 40 years, said: ‘We have to stop Brexit now’
- Rachel Johnson is also standing and has taken a swipe at her Brexiteer brother
- Other candidates include a QC and senior former Tory and Labour MPs
Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel and ex-BBC star Gavin Esler today revealed they will stand for Britain’s new remain party in the European elections next month.
Heidi Allen, interim leader of Change UK, set up by The Independent Group of MPs known as the TIGgers, launched their campaign in Bristol today.
Announcing his Change UK candidacy, Mr Esler, who left the BBC after 40 years and is Chancellor of the University of Kent, claims the 2016 referendum was won with ‘lies and cheating’ and said: ‘We have to stop Brexit now’
He added: ‘I’ve joined this Remain alliance for three reasons: Stop Brexit, fix Britain, and move on to reform the EU’.
Interim leader Heidi Allen of the new pro-EU political party, Change UK speaks at the launch of their European election campaign in Bristol and unveiled Rachel Johnson as a candidate (far right of picture)
Ex-BBC reporter Gavin Esler is also a candidate and says that Britain must stop Brexit
Rachel Johnson at the launch of The Independent Group European election campaign. She will strand in the south-west region
Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel is also to stand as a European election candidate for Change UK in the South West region.
She announced her move at an event to launch the party’s election campaign in Bristol and has taken a swipe at her Brexiteer brother.
She told the Standard that Brexit must be stopped because it would ‘rub out my children’s prospects and chances of living and travelling and working in Europe’.
She said: ‘These are chances that the politicians who decided to campaign to Leave have enjoyed themselves.
‘It is simply not fair — and sometimes one has to stand up and be counted. It is now that time for me. A vote to leave the EU is so important, so life-changing for the next two generations that I am impelled to stand up and be counted for what I believe in, which is that we are far better in Europe.’
QC Jessica Simor, who has 43,000 followers on Twitter, will also stand alongside ex-Tory health secretary Stephen Dorrell and former Labour MP for Wimbledon, Roger Casale.
Change UK interim leader Heidi Allen told the event that 3,700 people had offered to stand as party candidates in the European elections.
‘This is no rebel alliance – this is the home of the remain alliance,’ she said.
Tory and Labour defectors Sarah Wollaston, Chuka Umunna, Anna Soubry and Heidi Allen formed the TIGgers
Mr Esler, who is standing for the party in London, slammed Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg as ‘pretend men of the people’.
He described them as the ‘posers of Brexit’ and said they were ‘selling the same old snake oil’.
‘They claim to speak for the people – they do not,’ Mr Esler said.
‘They stole our patriotism and I want it back.’
Mr Esler, who has more than 40 years’ experience in journalism, said: ‘I have never been a member of a political party but I am now.
‘I have never been a candidate in an election but I am now.
‘I have never been seriously worried about the future of our country but I am now.
‘Our political system is a joke. It is a worldwide joke.
‘They are laughing at us – not with us, at us.’