David Cameron is failing to address the Conservatives’ “vulnerability” to Nigel Farage and the UK Independence Party and has not yet done enough to reassure the public on Europe, Andy Coulson says this week.
“The Prime Minister’s former director of communications, who is awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to hack phones and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office, makes the comments in the latest issue of GQ, which goes on sale this week.
“.. The party should submit Mr Farage, whom he calls “Mr Mirage”, to serious scrutiny. He wants the Tories to produce a YouTube-friendly package of Mr Farage’s “less pleasant and stranger utterances”. A £120 billion spending gap from his policies “must be hung around [Mr Farage’s] neck” and questions asked about where £77 billion of public spending cuts would fall.”
Mr Mirage. Nice. The Downing Street operation has missed Coulson’s tabloid touch.
The former News of the World editor, however, also says that Farage may have a “bit of a point” when he argues that a UKIP “win” in the European elections should result in him being allowed to participate in the televised leadership debates 12 months later – and predicts a Twitter campaign to force the three main parties to allow the Ukip leader to take part.
truelabour 