Flannelled Fool Fox Fib Busted

While Young Dave is doing the rounds of other EU member states selling his idea of an allegedly reformed Union in advance of telling the British people what a jolly good deal he has secured for them honestly, those in the Tory Party more interested in promoting Themselves Personally Now have been manoeuvring for position, looking forward to the distinct possibility that Cameron might quit if Britain votes to leave.

An unsavoury sleazebag airs his views

Those jockeying for position now include former Defence Secretary Liam Fox, not only a has-been, but arguably a never-should-have-been-in-the-first-place, whose tenure was brought to an end after the deeply subversive Guardian caught the SOB “breaching the ministerial code of conduct” in 2011. His pal Adam Werritty was also a key player. It could - and should - have happened a lot earlier.

As I pointed out at the time, Fox’s department sprang a number of politically advantageous leaks - advantageous to him, that is. It was never established who did the leaking, but as I surmised, it would probably have stopped if Cameron had sacked Fox there and then. There has since been no way back for Fox, save for an offer of a minor role after last year’s General Election, which Fox declined. It was probably more than he was worth.

But now, not unconnected to Fox’s fervent Anglo-US stance, has come an attempt to paint Fox as a future Tory leader (no, don’t laugh). This has come from a predictably clueless and partisan source, the Sun’s alleged “Westminster Correspondent” Harry Cole, who has brought long-suffering readers “Brexit Fox beating chickens in race to be next Tory leader … This could be the return to the political frontline Dr Liam Fox has been waiting for”.

Do go on. “Anti-EU ex-Cabinet minister Dr Liam Fox has rocketed to the top of Tory activists’ list for the party’s next leader … The former Defence Secretary’s prominent role in the Leave campaign has seen him overtake Theresa May and Boris Johnson, and has pushed George Osborne into fourth place – according to the shock poll by the ConservativeHome website”. It’s not such a shock, though, is it?

ConHome polls are surveys of party members. 700 votes were cast. It’s also clear that those voting are heavily Eurosceptic and looking for someone who suits their mood, given so many cabinet heavyweights are rallying round Cameron and backing the remain campaign. So what did Fox think? “The right-wing stalwart refused to comment on the development tonight but Westminster allies said the Scotsman was ‘buoyed’ by the news”.

That would be the Westminster ally Fox sees when he looks in the mirror, then. At least Cole has come clean and included a response that many Tory MPs would endorse: “Though not every Tory MP welcomed the development, with one telling The Sun tonight: ‘The Conservative Party would have to be sick in the head to call for that doctor’”. Dead right. Liam Fox is a clown. He is not a credible candidate. Full stop. End of story.

That Master Cole is prepared to talk him up makes his paper even less credible.