New Forest MP faces Brexit Party challenge after rejecting no-deal pact

THE Brexit Party will challenge Sir Desmond Swayne for his New Forest West seat in the next general election after the pro-Leave Conservative MP rejected its demand to push for a no-deal break with the EU.

In a surprise move Nigel Farage’s party confirmed it would put up a candidate to take on veteran parliamentarian Sir Desmond – who campaigned for Brexit – when country next goes to the polls.

Brexit Party candidate Robin Horne told the A&T he wanted a complete “clean break” with the EU – and suggested he may step aside if Sir Desmond promised to push for the same thing.

The Brexit Party has pledged not to challenge Tories who voted against the withdrawal deals put forward by former Prime Minister Theresa May, including Julian Lewis of New Forest East and Sir Chris Chope of Christchurch.

Sir Desmond voted three times for the legislation, however, saying he feared its defeat would ultimately lead to the cancellation of Brexit entirely.

Mr Horne said: “The danger we see is him backsliding and voting for what is the worst deal that would have been offered… I’m holding his feet to the fire.”

Told of Mr Horne’s offer to drop his candidacy, however, Sir Desmond rejected it.

He told the A&T: “The principal responsibility I owe to my constituents is my judgement as events unfold and circumstances change. I cannot allow that judgement to be fettered by an undertaking to a particular lobby.

“As for Mrs May’s withdrawal agreement, despite the reservations I put on record at the time, I stand by my decision to support it in order to get out of the EU on 29th March – that would have been preferable to our current limbo and uncertainty.”

A retired engineer living in Cranbourne Chase, Mr Horne (74) is a former Conservative Party member who switched to the Brexit Party after it was formed earlier this year.

He said he believed the current parties had “let down” the electorate and “damaged the public’s belief in politics”.

Other issues he pledged to fight for included investment in coastal and rural communities, high-speed broadband, House of Lords and civil service reform, cutting overseas aid, reducing student loan interest, and promoting small businesses.

Sir Desmond won a majority of 23,431 in the 2017 general election and has already been reselected by the Conservatives to fight New Forest West.

The Liberal Democrats have picked Cllr Jack Davies, who sits on Lymington and Pennington town and New Forest district councils. Labour has not yet chosen its candidate but the process was being “accelerated”.

A spokesman for the Brexit Party said it had not selected candidates for the Christchurch and New Forest East constituencies.

In New Forest East, to take on sitting MP Dr Lewis the Lib Dems named ex- Oxford Brookes University lecturer and pollution campaigner Bob Johnston as their candidate.

Mr Johnston is a long-standing member of both Oxfordshire County Council and Vale of Wight Horse District Council.

He said he would fight for national and local issues, including reopening the Waterside railway to passengers and fighting port development in Dibden Bay.

On the subject of Brexit, Mr Johnston backed his party’s policy to cancel Brexit if elected with a majority and said: “There is no Brexit that will be good for our country. Europe makes our United Kingdom stronger. But Brexit hurts our family of nations.”