George Osborne has led the condemnation of hardline Tory Brexiteers who are apparently being dubbed the “Grand Wizards”.
The former Conservative Chancellor responded to a tweet by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg which suggested that the group of Tories, who met the Prime Minister at Chequers on Sunday, had a new nickname.
The title Grand Wizard was formerly associated with the leader of white supremacist terrorist organisation the Klu Klux Klan.
David Lammy tweeted: “The United Kingdom is currently being held to ransom by a bunch of wild-eyed hard Brexiteers who have inherited the name used by the heads of the Ku Klux Klan. Wake me up when this nightmare ends.”
I’m sorry, is this for real? Have the leaders of the hard Brexiteers just called themselves the same name as the leaders of the Ku Klux Klan? https://t.co/ltMKsyCnwH
— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) March 25, 2019
And Tom Watson added: “These members of an out of touch elite are taking all of us for fools. In these volatile times you can be sure of one thing – whatever happens with the brexit negotiations, these men will prosper.”
On Sunday, Mrs May held “lengthy” talks with prominent Brexiteer backbenchers including Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and David Davis to discuss whether there was sufficient support among MPs for another vote on her withdrawal deal.
Ms Kuenssberg clarified her tweet shortly afterwards, adding: “just catching up on timeline, for avoidance of doubt, couple of insiders told me using the nickname informally, no intended connection to anything else.”