It’s time for every Brexiteer to back Boris Johnson’s deal

During my years campaigning for Brexit, I’ve bounced around quite a few different organisations in support of the great cause; starting by launching the Daily Express crusade to get Britain out back in 2010, then becoming part of the Ukip insurgency under Nigel Farage which led to that historic 2014 European elections win, before being the only Ukip MEP to back Vote Leave rather than its Faragist rival to be the designated Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum.

At each turn, I’ve tried my best to put country before party, asking myself what would be the best thing for the attainment of Brexit rather than the most comfortable thing for me. In 2010-15, that meant putting the squeeze on David Cameron when he was already in a tight spot thanks to the coalition having sent many habitual Lib Dem voters into the Labour column. In 2016, it meant backing the campaign best equipped to capture millions of middle-of-the-road, middle class swing voters during the referendum.

At the start of this year, I naturally cheered on Nigel Farage and the Brexit party before – and during – their brilliant European elections campaign.