Tory and Reform MPs allied to support a Commons motion by Mr Farage to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. It was the largest and most high-profile show of co-operation between hitherto sworn enemies to date in parliament.
Is it a hint of some kind of deal or alliance against Labour, Liberal Democrats, and other left-of-centre parties following the next election? The reason for the new seeming love-in between the rival factions on the UK right was the issue of a 10-minute rule bill tabled by Mr Farage.
Wanted by Lib Dem and SNP opponents, Mr Farage was shouted down during his speech, before Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey opened up a furious attack against his bill. Of course, pulling out of the ECHR is something that the Conservatives and Reform UK are united on. But far too often, the major parties disregard motions tabled in the Commons by minor parties.
Not today. The vote was 96 MPs for Mr Farage’s ECHR Withdrawal Bill and 154 against, with 63 Labour MPs, 64 Liberal Democrats, and Jeremy Corbyn’s contingent of 10 independents opposing it. Kemi Badenoch commanded 87 Conservative MPs into the Aye lobby with Mr Farage, his Reform UK allies Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, and Danny Kruger, who was a teller, and some Northern Ireland MPs.
The Conservative MPs who supported Mr Farage’s motion included the majority of the shadow cabinet. The Tory Veteran Sir John Whittingdale was the Reform UK leader’s other teller.
Following the vote, Mr Farage thanked ex-cabinet ministers Suella Braverman and Sir Gavin Williamson and – most importantly – shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick for co-signing his bill. Although Mrs Badenoch has said on the record that she would never agree to a deal with Reform UK, Mr Jenrick said at the Tory conference last month it was “not a priority”.
The breakdown of the voting numbers tells us that without the 63 Labour MPs voting against, Mr Farage would have won the vote, although victory on a ten-minute rule bill is purely symbolic. And indeed, until a last-minute plea by pro-Europe Labour MPs led by Stella Creasy, the Labour leadership had planned to ignore the vote and abstain.
But the party leadership was reportedly cautioned that, symbolic or not, permitting Mr Farage’s bill to be approved would set a horrible precedent with the UK’s European neighbors. And so, new government chief whip Jonathan Reynolds acquiesced and decreed that while ministers might abstain and not vote, backbenchers might oppose Mr Farage if they so chose.
Ed Davey subsequently claimed the credit for beating Mr Farage, though. “We just beat Nigel Farage’s bill in parliament to rip up people’s rights and pull out of the ECHR,” he wrote.
“Farage wants to destroy the Britain Churchill created and make it a version of Trump’s America. We prevented it.”
But might this vote be a sign that some sort of coalition politics is on the return in the Commons, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats against the Conservatives and Reform UK?
