The post you are reporting:
Courtesy of the Sunday Times.
Half of all voters think British politics is “broken” and only one in seven thinks the Tories and Labour represent the views of the public, clearing the way for the creation of new political parties. A YouGov poll for The Sunday Times has found that the Brexit crisis has fractured public trust in the political class, with 44% of voters saying the response of MPs has damaged their view of politicians. The findings come as Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, today confirms that he is working on a new “leave” campaign that could morph into a new party on the right if MPs water down Brexit.
Up to 17 Labour MPs are in talks about breaking away from the party if Jeremy Corbyn refuses to back a new EU referendum.
“I can’t believe distrust of politics can ever have been higher,” said Farage, who warned that he now expects parliament to press for a suspension of article 50, the process by which Britain is leaving the European Union. He added: “We are absolutely preparing for a referendum in case there is one. We don’t want one, but it’s equally quite sensible to insure your house because there might be a fire.”
Having left Ukip last week after it employed Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — the far-right activist better known as Tommy Robinson — as an adviser, Farage made clear that he could set up a rival outfit.
“If you say to the Great British public, ‘We’re not actually leaving after March 29, we’ve pushed it on for another year, or two years,’ then I think the attitude of half the country towards the political class will be sulphurous. “In those circumstances a pro-Brexit political party, without people like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon in it, could stun everybody with its first couple of polling results.” Farage said he and his allies are in touch with David Canzini — an aide to the Tory election strategist Sir Lynton Crosby — who has helped to co-ordinate the “Chuck Chequers” campaign against Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
Canzini has been working with Stewart Jackson, a former aide to David Davis, while Crosby continues to advise Boris Johnson.