Brexit Party MEP: Only Boris can save failing Tories

Martin Daubney said the Conservatives dismal failure in the recent European elections showed that the party is in a fight for its survival, and claimed that only Mr Johnson could stop a "complete evisceration" by delivering Brexit.

It came as the Brexit Party prepared to reveal its first 100 parliamentary candidates for the next general election at a rally in Birmingham this weekend.

Mr Daubney, who was one of three Brexit Party candidates in the West Midlands to be elected to the European Parliament last month, said that people across the region had told him they had "lost faith" in the Conservative government.

"Boris is the best chance that the Conservatives have of avoiding electoral wipe out," he said. "It's the only option, I believe, that the Tories have of existing as a true force.

"That is because, as we saw in the European elections... the vote was eviscerated, particularly across the West Midlands. The Brexit Party just annihilated the Tory vote.

"That is not about who is the leader, it's about [whether people can] believe in the Conservative Party to deliver on the mandate of the people, which they have blatantly failed to do for the past three years.

"It's bigger than who is the leader. It's about, what is the point of the Conservative Party if they can't do democracy, if they can't do what they are told and accept they are our servants and not our masters.

"Boris Johnson is the only person that can stop this complete evisceration. It's not about the detail, it's about survival."

Nigel Farage's Brexit Party finished top in May's EU elections, winning 29 seats with the Tories down in fifth on just four seats.

Mr Daubney, who revealed he is considering standing to be an MP, said the rally at the NEC on Sunday would see the next stage in the party's development – with the emphasis being on preparing for a general election.

It is being compared by Mr Farage and is expected to include details of policy direction.

The event is set to be the biggest staged since the party was officially founded in January, with around 5,000 tickets sold.