Simon Clarke, Tory MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, and candidate for the 2024 General Election, has created waves in the populist right with a Twitter /X post carrying a support video from a former Reform UK candidate.
He posted:
“I’m delighted to have received significant endorsement from Charlie Thompson, who had been set to stand as the Reform UK candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.”
In his video, Thompson who stood for Reform in the last council elections, said that Clarke’s position on tighter immigration and lower taxation are in tune with Reform’s.
“I see no reason why he should not be re-elected as MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland,” he said.
Uproar ensued with indignation registered by Reform UK, who have struck an electoral deal with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), by not fielding both parties’ candidates in the same constituency.
In response to the Clarke post, Reform UK stated on Facebook,
“Absolutely outrageous lies from Mr Clarke, someone who is clearly casting about in desperation for anything that might give him the slightest chance of holding on to his seat…
“Charlie Thompson has not been involved in the party for some time now and was never considered as our PPC for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. In accordance with the terms of our electoral pact with the SDP– which was made in October 2022, we are endorsing the candidacy of Rod little in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland”
Liddle also posted on Facebook,
“Except this isn’t true Simon. As per our electoral pact, Reform have officially endorsed myself for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. Likewise I will be endorsing Patrick Sargeant of Reform for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East”
Reform UK and the SDP
You might wonder in the midst of this storm, what Nigel Farage’s Reform UK (a simple name change from the Brexit Party) and the SDP, (co-creators of the LibDems) could have in common?
It was January 1981. Britain was already in the mother of all recessions, and Thatcher was taking her carving knife to public services.
The ‘Gang of Four’ Labour MPs – David Owen, Shirley Williams, Roy Jenkins and Bill Rodgers thought it would be a great idea to split Labour with their new group, later called the Social Democratic Party or SDP.
The rest is history. The SDP later allied with the Liberals to form the Liberal Democrats or LibDems. The remaining rump of the SDP folded in 1990.
But the current SDP is not some reincarnation of David Owen’s project. The old SDP was on the right of Labour politically, roughly where Starmer’s Labour is now. The new SDP has more populist, far right policies, anti-immigration among them.
The current SDP was registered with the Electoral Commission in 2002.
William Clouston, its leader since 2018, claims that he was an original member of the first SDP and stayed with the “continuity” rump after the merger with the Liberals.
Clouston has written for the Spectator and from a Google search seems to have links to the far right libertarian website Spiked, whose bizarre political history you can read here.
The actual LibDem candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland is Jemma Joy.
Labour is fielding Luke Myer.
And there’s also Rowan McLoughlin for the Greens. So you’re spoilt for choice.
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