Baroness Warsi switches to Remain camp after ‘Breaking Point’ poster

BARONESS WARSI, a former chairman of the Conservative Party, has switched her support from the Leave campaign to Remain.

Lady Warsi, who was the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Dewsbury at the 2005 general election becoming the first Muslim woman to be selected by the Conservatives, told the Times that the “hate and xenophobia” of the Leave campaign was “a step too far”.

She said she realised she could no longer support Leave when she saw UKIP’s “breaking point” anti-EU poster.

Lady Warsi told the Times: “That ‘breaking point’ poster really was – for me – the breaking point to say, ‘I can’t go on supporting this’.

“Are we prepared to tell lies, to spread hate and xenophobia just to win a campaign? For me that’s a step too far.”

On her decision to switch sides, Lady Warsi, who resigned from the government in 2014 over its position on Gaza, added: “It’s not an easy decision – this has been a difficult personal journey.

“When I look at the people who are now saying the things they are saying and the people who are supporting that approach, the BNP, Donald Trump, Marine le Pen, Austria’s Freedom Party – everyday it feels like the far right is coming out to stand by Leave.”

However, Leave campaigners have said they never knew Lady Warsi was a part of their campaign.

Vote Leave tweeted: “Genuinely puzzled by Sayeeda ‘defection’. We weren’t aware she was ever part of the #VoteLeave campaign…”

Campaigners on the Leave side also slammed the anti-EU poster, with Justice Secretary Michael Gove saying he “shuddered” when he saw the poster and Chris Grayling calling it “wrong”.