Run, run as fast as you can? It would seem that despite the dismissive tough talking of some Conservatives, those on the frontline against UKIP are collectively bottling it.
Mark Simmonds yesterday announced that he is to step down from the Boston and Skegness seat. Mr. Simmonds cited family commitments.
Tory sources paint a different picture though: of a local party in disarray and a big, fat, purple UKIP wave crashing across the constituency. According to the source, “UKIP are all over him.”
This trend of a Tory activist base in freefall running parallel to UKIP’s swelling ground forces is one that has gone somewhat under the radar, yet is incredibly vital. Without activists on the ground, you can’t win an election campaign. Not even in previously safe seats. Boston and Skegness has voted Tory since it became a constituency in 1997.
This change in electoral dynamic is hardly surprising really. Boston has seen a ridiculous and irresponsible rise in immigration, up by 467 percent since 2001.
Both Labour and Simmonds’s party stand in favour of absurd EU open borders which has put massive pressure on local services and the local jobs market.
Simmonds’ departure follows the situation in South Thanet, widely touted as another constituency where UKIP could be fighting to win. Laura Sandys MP announced that she won’t be fighting the seat in 2015 after just one term in office. She has also cited “family pressures”.
Will this trend continue?
If so, it appears that even some Conservative MPs don’t fancy their chances in arguing the pro-EU, pro-open door immigration message against organised UKIP candidates and associations.
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