Sun Hack Shills For Brexit Group

The Sun’s editor Tony Gallagher may have declared that his paper has not yet made up its mind on which side to back in the upcoming referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, but one of his hacks has: step forward his alleged “Westminster Correspondent” Harry Cole, formerly tame gofer to the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines at the Guido Fawkes blog, who appears to have used his current berth to spin for his right-wing pals.

An unsavoury sleazebag airs his views

Master Cole begins promisingly, with the headline “Enough of EU: Sun man Tony Parsons joins fight to leave European Union … Columnist backs Brexit and condemns ‘rotten idea’ of European politics” before letting the cat out of the bag: “The columnist and broadcaster plans to spearhead the Brexit assembly ‘Voices for Britain’, launched by two leading Ukip politicians”. “Leading UKIP politician” is a contradiction in terms.

But do go on. “Group instigators - Patrick O’Flynn MEP and sacked Ukip deputy chairman Suzanne Evans - tell The Sun that politicos have so far 'dominated' the EU referendum debate … In a bid to widen out support for Britain to leave the EU, Mr O’Flynn said last night … ‘My gut tells me many people will listen to their favourite authors and columnists rather than politicians’”. And by that time I had heard enough.

Quite apart from Suzanne Evans having just been sacked by Nigel “Thirsty” Farage, and “Lunchtime” O’Flynn being another MEP who didn’t have to stand for office under his own name, this is a blatant plug for a spin-off Astroturf group from the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance, which, you got it, is in itself an Astroturf group. First there was “Business for Britain”. And now there are lots of other “for Britain” groups.

There is Conservatives for Britain. Labour for Britain. Veterans for Britain. Students for Britain. Women for Britain. Muslims for Britain. Lawyers for Britain. And added to that will now be Voices for Britain. Every one of them an Astroturf group spun off from Business for Britain, which was itself spun off from the TPA. Every one of them shilling for the Vote Leave campaign, masterminded by TPA founder Matthew Elliott.

Every one of them having little or no presence other than to try and amplify the Vote Leave message. Master Cole knows this, as he knows Elliott, and all the others behind the TPA and its spin-offs. Back at the time the Huffington Post UK was launched, Cole and then boss Staines spent much of their time at the after party knocking back the free drink with Mark Wallace - then Elliott’s pal at the TPA and now spinning for Conservative Home.

Cole’s Sun article is not news, but advertising for his pals. One has to wonder if Gallagher has cottoned on to this. As for Tony Parsons, this is the has-been who got stuck in a traffic jam recently and blamed it on immigrants - rather than his own selfish behaviour in driving his daughter to school at an average speed of less than 5mph, rather than walking or cycling. We need no lessons on modern life from the likes of him.

Still, good to be able to con your boss - if you can get away with it.