Brexit Party won't win a single seat, says Ukip's only General Election winner

11 November 2019, 10:29

The man who won Ukip's only seat at a General Election has told LBC that the Brexit Party will not end up with a single MP after next month's poll.

Nick Ferrari asked Douglas Carswell: "Do you think it's Mr Farage's patriotic duty to stand down candidates in much of the country?"

Carswell responded: "I don't know about that but what I do know is that there is not a chance of the Brexit Party winning a single constituency in the country, and let me tell you why.

"I was the only person who ever won a seat for UKIP in a general election. UKIP was doing better, much better than the Brexit Party is today and we only managed to win a single constituency in Clacton.

"So anyone who votes for the Brexit Party at this election is not going to return a Brexit MP. That's absolutely not going to happen.

"So the question then becomes, why are they running?

"Now, I fully understand why it is that there are lots of Eurosceptics out there like me who frankly got a bit cheesed off with the Tory Party and decided to put pressure on the voting for someone else.

He continued: "But the reality is that we now have the opportunity to get Brexit done."

We finally have a prime minister. We finally have Boris Johnson who wants to get us out the EU. So I really do think even if you cannot stand before to your local Tory MP or your local Tory candidate, grit your teeth and vote for Boris because that's the only way to get it done."

Nick then asked if this deal was Brexit in name only (BRINO), as Nigel Farage is suggesting.

Carswell said: "Huge kudos and respect to Nigel. We wouldn't have had the referendum without him, Some say we might not have won the referendum without him.

"But look, I think Nigel would say that anyway, wouldn't he? I mean, Nigel, doesn't feel that he's been included.

"That's a perfectly understandable reason. He feels slighted. That's a perfectly legitimate feeling he has.

"But this isn't about the feelings of politicians. This isn't about us demanding the deals are done and pacts are made.

The reality is that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get this country out of the EU and that is far more important than the precious feelings of a politician."

Nick then asked what he expected to see playing out in the next four weeks.

Carswell said: "I see a desperate establishment, a desperate intellectual elite at the apex of the BBC and the opinion-forming classes in Westminster, the Brexit blockers who did everything they could to deny the referendum result being implemented fighting a desperate rearguard action against Boris Johnson.

They're throwing everything at him and the last thing we need is for Brexiteers to be the establishment's useful idiots. Don't help the Brexit blockers, don't vote for the Brexit Party. Get this done, vote for Boris."