Boris Johnson ally David Frost banned from standing as Tory candidate in General Election
Boris Johnson ally David Frost banned from standing as Tory candidate in General Election
GBN
David Frost, the former Cabinet minister and a key ally of Boris Johnson, has been banned from standing as a Conservative candidate at the general election, GB News can disclose.
Lord Frost was told yesterday by Conservative Party headquarters that he cannot apply for any of the 93 vacant seats where the party is yet to nominate a candidate for the July 4 general election, according to his friends.
Frost is a low-tax Tory who was one of the architects of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's deal for the UK to leave the European Union. He was described as "the great Frost" by Johnson for his work on the deal.
The news will raise some eyebrows among Tory activists, some of whom have been directly approaching Lord Frost directly to stand.
Frost is a low-tax Tory who was one of the architects of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's deal for the UK to leave the European Union
GETTYLord Frost said last May that he wanted to give up his seat in the Lords in exchange for a place in the Commons – the first person to do so since a rule change to allow such a move in 2014.
Lord Frost rose to fame as the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator in 2019, and led the talks that resulted in Johnson’s revised Brexit withdrawal agreement.
He led Britain into trade deal negotiations with the EU, before being nominated for a peerage and serving as a Cabinet minister.
During a dispute with the EU over Northern Ireland, Johnson described his friend as the “greatest Frost since the Great Frost of 1709”.
POLITICS LATEST:The latest blow to the Tory party comes as Rishi Sunak was warned that China and Russia could ruin British democracy with “election interference”.
The UK “must be prepared for the possibility of foreign interference” during the 2024 General Election, a committee has warned.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy stressed a “pattern of attempted foreign interference from countries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea” in recent years.
Outgoing Labour MP Margaret Beckett, who penned the letter, added: “The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) subsequently pointed to precedent for China seeking to influence democratic processes overseas.”
The letter concluded: “We therefore call on you as Prime Minister to use the last few days of this Parliament to bring Government, political parties, and electoral and security agencies together to identify any last actions that can be taken collectively in the national interest.”
Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak have kicked off their general election campaigns PASunak is today visiting a maritime technology centre at a dockyard in Northern Ireland while Starmer is up in Scotland to launch his election campaign.
The Leader of the Opposition, who joined Anas Sarwar in Glasgow today, said: “Scotland’s voice is vital, absolutely vital.”
He continued: “I know there are voters here in Scotland who wanted in the past to get the Tories out but felt that they couldn’t vote for Labour because they didn’t think that we would win.
“Well, we are a changed Labour Party and we now have that opportunity to kick the Tories out but you have to take that opportunity by voting Labour.
“Because there is no change without Scotland, there is no Labour without Scotland.
“Scotland is central to the mission of the next Labour Government.”
Lord Frost was unavailable for comment. The Conservatives were approached for comment.