- Lost Hestletine, a Tory veteran, has lost his whip
- This was as a result of his public support of Lib Dems in the upcoming European Elections
- He has stood by his beliefs
It would seem that Theresa May isn’t the only British politician who has seen their position come under threat in the last few months, even as the European elections are fast approaching. While Brexit negotiations were ongoing, both sides of the political divide were adamant that the UK should not have to take part in the European elections but unfortunately, the delays in passing a Brexit deal meant the UK having to participate.
Even then it was was not the end of the drama as Lord Heseltine, a member of the Tory Party, has lost his whip after stating that he would endorse lib Dems in the European election. As reported on May 20, 2019, this was a controversial move as it meant he would go against his own party because he disagreed with their pro-Brexit stance.
Removing the Whip
According to a spokesperson for the Tory Party, Lord Heseltine’s views were long-standing and sincerely held but that the public endorsing of another party was not compatible with the holding of a Tory whip and thus, he was stripped of it.
“As a result, the Chief Whip in the House of Lords has informed Lord Heseltine that he will have the Conservative whip suspended. This will be reviewed if he is willing to support Conservative candidates at future elections,” the spokesperson said.
The implications of the whip being stripped are that Lord Heseltine is essentially removed from the party and will sit in Parliament as an independent until the whip is restored to him. The controversy began when Lord Heseltine revealed that he would be voting for the Lib Dems in a piece published in the Sunday Times as he was not prepared to indulge in what he calls an act of national sacrifice by supporting Brexit.
Lord Heseltine is a political veteran, having previously served as deputy prime minister and has also served in the governments of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major and was an adviser to the last Prime Minister David Cameron.
Since the news broke, he has stood behind his convictions stating that “They can take away the whip but they cannot take away my integrity, my convictions or my experience. I am a Conservative.”
The European elections are to be held on May 23, 2019.
