Express switches allegiance over EU row
The Daily Express newspaper has abandoned its support for Labour and is now backing the Conservative Party in the lead up to the local council and European elections.
Proprietor Richard Desmond, who has previously donated more than £100,000 in adverts to Labour, claimed that Tony Blair’s U-turn on holding a referendum on the EU constitution was a “final act of betrayal”.
The Daily Express was traditionally a Tory allied paper, but the paper has supported Labour for seven years and Mr Desmond chose to donate funds to Labour before the 2001 election.
The paper today devotes six pages to its decision to back the Tories and claims that the sooner Britain is rid of the Labour party the better. The Daily Express attacks the government’s policies on crime, health, education and Europe, claiming that a change of government is necessary to “restore faith in democracy”.
The newspaper claims it has made a “historic decision” to back the Conservative Party in the run-up to next year’s general election and a front page headline tells Tony Blair that “Enough is Enough”.
A full page leader signed by Express editor Peter Hill claims that under Michael Howard the Tories offer a plausible alternative government.
“The Daily Express is prepared to stick its neck out NOW and say that Michael Howard and the Tories should be given a chance to put things right,” the paper declares.
“It is time for a fundamental change in the way in which this country, OUR country, is governed. It is a question of trust and, regrettably, Mr Blair has lost ours.”
“Mr Blair’s cynical U-turn on the European constitution, offering a referendum AFTER the next general election – a referendum that will probably never happen – is the final act of betrayal,” the leader adds.
Mr Desmond was a past Tory supporter and donated £5,000 to the party when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, but transferred his allegiance to Labour in 2000 and visited Downing Street on a number of occasions.
The Daily Express shift will be a major coup for the Tories, particularly as Mr Desmond is worth an estimated £400 million. The newspaper, currently with a circulation of around 940,000, has become increasingly critical of the government’s asylum and immigration policies in recent years.
The decision to switch political allegiance was reportedly taken personally by Mr Hill in consultation with Mr Desmond.
It has not been revealed yet whether the Sunday Express or The Star, also owned by Mr Desmond, will follow suit.
