At one point last weekend it seemed likely that the UK was going to crash out of the EU without a deal – an event that would be celebrated by many Tory backbenchers and most of the party’s voters. However, the Confederation of British Industry, the National Farmers Union and many officers in chambers of commerce would certainly not be rejoicing. Some of the main figureheads of these groups could scarcely contain their anger at what they saw as a lemming-like procession over the cliff edge.
The question is why is Johnson’s government so intent on pursuing a path opposed by influential organisations that would ordinarily be among the strongest supporters of the Conservative Party?
One factor is the success of some politicians, notably Nigel Farage, but also Boris Johnson and many of his MPs, in equating EU membership with “open door” immigration. The Vote Leave campaign’s falsehood that the UK would be “swamped by Turkey” was one of the best examples of this.
