“Nick Griffin is right” says Black Tory candidate!
Loanna Morrison (left), the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, has caused division within the Tory Party after posting an anti-immigration message on the influential political website, Conservativehome. She wrote : “Britain is full, declares Nick Griffin at every opportunity, and he is right.”
This has launched a divisive debate within the ranks of Tory candidates with some demanding to be allowed to play the immigration card and others accusing their colleagues of being racist.
Tory leaflets put out in Romford claim the ‘floodgates have been opened’ and that immigration must be stopped. But these leaflets have been condemned by other Tories who say they are alarmist and misleading because they imply limits could be imposed on entrants from EU countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic when this would be illegal under EU law.
Cameron supporters quickly turned their fire on Romford MP Andrew Rosindell who immediately started backtracking and trying to distance himself from the leaflet.
“I did not write or approve this flyer. Immigration is an important issue but, as David Cameron has made clear, we must be careful with both the facts and the language we use. This flyer falls short on both counts, and I shall be pointing that out.” However, he was unable to explain why the leaflet stated that it was “promoted” by the MP himself.
Tim Montgomerie, editor of Conservativehome, said the anti-immigration issues was popular amongst Tory candidates:
“I have spoken to someone senior in central office who said more and more people were asking to put immigration on leaflets, and they were being allowed to do so,” he revealed to The Observer this morning.
Another Tory MP told the newspaper the issue was becoming a salient one:
“In 2001 it wasn’t registering at all. This time it is cropping up regularly on the doorstep,” he said.
While David Cameron is expected to reflect this in a speech in Brighton today where he will play the ‘patriotic card’, there was a stern warning from grandees of both main parties:
“If either party decide to push the button on immigration then the only beneficiary will be Nick Griffin and the BNP.”
