Baroness Varsi defects from Leave to Remain

[Appletreeblossom123]

www.itv.com/news/update/2016-06-19/leading-tory-defects-from-leave-to-remain/

Surprised no one has started a thread on this.

And now I appear to have inadvertently started two

Was she in the leave camp? Don't think I've heard her mutter one thing during the campaign?

Always thought she was a bit of a flounder myself!

I'm a remain supporter, but this is hardly Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles is it? If a single person has changed their mind on the basis of Sayeeda Warsi's actions, I'll eat my entire hat collection.

I'm a remain supporter, but this is hardly Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles is it? If a single person has changed their mind on the basis of Sayeeda Warsi's actions, I'll eat my entire hat collection.

Exactly.

See hasn't been actively campaigning.

I really don't see the need in publically 'announcing' you are changing 'sides' other than for self promotion.

She said to Dominic Cummings that she had backed away from campaigning in the last month because of disquiet over the direction of the campaign.

I don't think anyone should decide the direction of their vote based on which way one person is voting, but I think there is some significance in her decision, as she's a long-standing and serious Eurosceptic - as a few seconds on Google will confirm. In fact the unseemly rush to proclaim her "not really a member of the leave camp" should tell you that, on the contrary, the leave campaign consider this very damaging.

Her defection should cause the people - Gove, Johnson, Cummings - who chose to use immigration as their battle cry some reason to pause for thought.

In fact the unseemly rush to proclaim her "not really a member of the leave camp" should tell you that, on the contrary, the leave campaign consider this very damaging.

Or it could just be that she wasn't an active leave campaigner? Where have you seen her publically in the last couple of months campaigning.

Not sure what grounds you have for saying 'they consider it very damaging'

Lord Kinnock (he of the EU gravy train) has said she should be the next EU Commisioner.....!! ha ha. To her credit, she has said she doesn't want the job (for now.....!)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28261959

I certainly remember the headlines when she came out in favour of Brexit, so fair enough that there are also headlines when she changes her mind.

But it's true she hasn't been campaigning, or if she has she's been very discreet.

Not all leave supporters are equally vocal or involved in the campaign. She was a longstanding Eurosceptic who tweeted the following a few days ago:

"For those of us committed to @vote_leave this unholy alliance between small minded little islanders & optimistic hello worlders is a strain!"

Which may explain her unwillingness to get up on stage while Gove and Johnson tell lies about fellow Muslims in Turkey.

I'm no Tory, but give Warsi credit - she stood up and criticised Zac Goldsmith's mayoral campaign too.

Why should this worry the leave camp? Well, have a think about the outcome of the London election.

It's definitely part of a pattern of increasing public concern about the tone of the Leave campaign. The comparison with the London election is apt...

Saying your leaving because the UKIP poster was a stupid comment.

Lots that want out are not wanting UKIP.

I think she was a mole, never actively campaigning but suddenly switching

I find it more telling that all the comments from the Leave campaign that I've heard this morning have been people emphasising that she was never an official member of the Leave campaign, rather than refuting her points, or at least responding to them.

She's somewhat of an irrelevance really isn't she? I mean who gives a damn what she supports or doesn't.

I'm glad she's done this.

Shines the spotlight on how twatty Farage's poster was, and I too have so many reservations about so many members of the Leave campaign that I could never bring myself to vote for anything they say.

I shudder at the thought of Boris ever becoming PM in the event of a leadership contest and perhaps even appointing Farage to some official role or another.

She was the first Asian woman to rise through the ranks of the Conservative party so I think she'll be important historically, but she's something of an irrelevance nowadays.

Top - too have so many reservations about so many members of the Leave campaign that I could never bring myself to vote for anything they say

Of course labour and conservatives are being completely honest

Before today I cannot think of a single thing she's done to campaign.

Was she active?

None of them are at all honest, Jellied.

I still find Remain the safer option for me, and can more stomach Cameron (with all his foibles) continuing as PM than Boris with an unelected Farage at his side.

She's also got some nerve complaining about hate and xenophobia when her unsuccessful election campaign in 2005 was nakedly homophobic. She is right on the substance of the issue - that the leave campaign have used subtle and not too subtle jingoism and xenophobia as a campaigning tool - but It is a bit rich to start trying to take the moral high ground now.

I think it's weird to decide to vote one way or another based on the tactics of the campaigners for any given side.

As many have said, neither campaign has covered themselves in glory.

If she is a Eurosceptic, she would vote Leave, based on her Eurosceptic beliefs, not on Nigel Farage's nasty poster.

What fundamental thing has changed with the UK's relationship to Europe, to make her change her mind? There just isn't one!

Incidentally, I have heard her speaking on Radio 4, arguing for Leave, not so long ago. (Weeks, not days, though.)

I will vote Remain, but not because of the personalities on the Remain side, or "Project Fear" but because it's what I believe is better.

Agree with sanity clause (apart from the last para

Absolutely nothing has changed. The EU haven't suddenly lifted their sanctions on us. Never trusted a politician who swaps sides for no other reason than its looking like the other side may win............ Where's your belief system Baroness? In your title?