Liam Fox tells Tories to focus on EU referendum – NOT party leadership

VOTE to leave EU will transform politics

Liam Fox has slapped down Tories jockeying for the party leadership and told them to focus on the EU referendum instead.

Speaking ahead of the party conference, which begins today, the former defence secretary warned: “Those who want to play parlour games with the Westminster commentariat about who’s next in line may want to think about bigger issues.”

Last week, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said she would be interested in replacing David Cameron when the PM steps down.

But in aclear rebuke to Morgan and other leadership hopefuls like Sajid Javid, Fox said the conference in Manchester should be all about the forthcoming vote on whether Britain stays or leaves the EU.

He said: “Those who are obsessed with the leadership need to get their priorities more in line with the rest of the country who want to know what it is we are renegotiating.

“They’d like to know what people’s positions will be on the big issues not just an attitude of ‘it’s my party and I’ll have it if I want to’.”

He added: “Some younger colleagues don’t understand what will be unleashed in terms of the passions aroused by this debate and it would be prudent to keep their powder dry

“Europe arouses very strong passions in our politics but at the moment it’s a minority sport.

“Once you get into a referendum situation where everyone is being asked their views, we’re likely to see the awakening of a whole range of emotions.

“That’s why this is such an important and defining and possibly divisive issue.

“It’s why at most Conservative Party conferences I’ve said don’t talk about Europe, but in this case you need to talk about Europe.”

Fox is one of the vice-presidents of Conservatives for Britain, a Eurosceptic group that last week unveiled right-wing former chancellor Nigel Lawson as its President.

He’s expected to campaign for the UK to leave the EU, a result looking more likely as the polls narrow.

He explained: “Most feel it’s only fair to let the Prime Minister have his renegotiation but we also say it’s hard to imagine a negotiation that would make me want to stay in.”

And if the UK does vote out, that would have a huge impact on the Scottish independence debate as well as leaving the Eurosceptic wing of the Tory party in the ascendancy and changing the face of Westminster politics.

Fox added: “You’ve got a second-rate ageing revolutionary leading the Labour Party and a referendum coming up on a major issue that transcends party lines.”