TWITTER SPAT: Farage Rips Into Daniel Hannan As Tory MEP Refuses to Rule Out ‘Double Referendum’

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Raheem Kassam

UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage has struck back after being attacked on Twitter by ‘Eurosceptic’ Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament Daniel Hannan.

Mr. Farage, who has known Mr. Hannan on a personal basis for decades, came under fire from the Tory MEP earlier today for allegedly refusing to share a platform with him. Breitbart London understands that Mr. Hannan is especially upset about being knocked off the panel at the Oxford Union, where Mr. Farage recently shared a platform with Sir William Cash MP against the European Union’s Jose Manuel Barroso, as well as former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

The Oxford Union were informed that Mr. Hannan should not speak on the platform for an ‘out’ vote because he supports the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign which is currently believed to be campaigning for a “double referendum”.

A “double referendum” is the idea that Britain could vote to leave the EU, then have another round of negotiations, and another referendum on those negotiations. The idea is being advanced by Vote Leave’s campaign directors Matthew Elliott and Dominic Cummings – the same campaign which Mr. Hannan, his best friend Douglas Carswell MP, and even UKIP’s Deputy Chairman Suzanne Evans have signed up to.

Most of the rest of UKIP have signed up to Grassroots Out or Leave.EU – campaigns pushing for a straight EU exit, or ‘Brexit’.

Following a tweet from Mr. Farage this morning which read: “#EUref not about left/right, is about right & wrong. I’ll work with anyone in campaign to Leave EU.”

Mr. Hannan struck back:

But Mr. Farage was quick to reply, citing Vote Leave’s “double referendum” idea:

Which Mr. Hannan promptly refused to rule out, pointing out that he personally has “never called for” it – but failing to address the fact that his campaign bosses have.

Writing in June, Vote Leave campaign director Mr. Cummings said: “One can see why NO might argue for a second vote. It enables NO to make a NO vote seem much less risky. ‘If you vote YES, you won’t get another vote for another 40 years – if ever. You should vote NO to Cameron’s rubbish deal. If you vote NO, you will force a new Government to negotiate a new deal and give you a new vote. A NO vote is much safer than a YES vote.’ Further, as a matter of democratic accountability, given the enormous importance of so many issues that would be decided in an Article 50 renegotiation – a far, far bigger deal than a normal election – it seems right to give people a vote on it.”

Mr. Farage, writing exclusively for Breitbart London earlier this month said of his recent meeting with Vote Leave: “I was further alarmed to hear Dominic Cummings, Vote Leave’s campaign director, tell a group of UKIP MEPs that a double referendum might be the way to get some senior figures into the campaign. 

“The idea that we should win a referendum on leaving the EU and then be offered better terms to vote a second time to become associate members appalls me and I could not countenance working with anyone who suggested that idea.”

Mr. Hannan has previously said: “Nothing would make me happier than for the PM to come back from Brussels with a deal that we could support” and accused Breitbart London of failing to attack the European Union.

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