In the EU referendum campaign, Alan Duncan penned a piece for the Telegraph entitled ‘why this lifelong Eurosceptic is now voting to stay in’. In this, the Conservative MP explained the heartfelt reasons he backed Remain. Alas, these were later placed in doubt when Vote Leave’s Matthew Elliott claimed that Duncan had met with him prior to as for a position on their board and then plumped for the In camp after his request was refused.
Now it turns out that Duncan’s interactions with the Remain camp weren’t all plain-sailing either. In an extract in the Mail on Sunday from Craig Oliver’s new book on the EU referendum Unleashing Demons, David Cameron’s former director of communications reveals the statement Duncan drafted — and suggested No.10 use — to reveal the news that he was an In-er:
‘In a major blow to the campaign to leave the EU, senior Tory MP Sir Alan Duncan has today announced we should remain a member.
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