Labour and Green Eurosceptics Won't Support Vote Leave Campaign With Climate Denier Lord Lawson at the Helm

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onFeb 9, 2016 @ 00:01 PST

Climate science denier Lord Lawsonโ€™s appointment as chairman to the Vote Leave EU referendum campaign group has caused further division amongst Eurosceptics as the campaignโ€™s leading Labour MP Kate Hoey and the Green Partyโ€™s Baroness Jenny Jones both withdraw support for the group.

Both Baroness Jones (pictured) and Hoey continue to support Britain leaving the EU but will not endorse Vote Leave to be the officially designated โ€˜Outโ€™ campaign.

As Baroness Jones wrote on Twitter: โ€œWill vote to leave #EU but canโ€™t work with an organisation with so little judgement as to put Lawson at itsย head.โ€

When asked in response by one Twitter user โ€œisn’t the point we have to work with people we disagree on other things?โ€ Baroness Jones replied saying Lawson โ€œis a bully as well as too embarassing to workย with.โ€

Lawson was named the new chairman last week after John Mills, the chairman at the time and a Labour supporter, wrote to Vote Leave campaign director Dominic Cummings accusing him of โ€œgenerating more and more ill feeling.โ€

The groupโ€™s splintering prompted both UKIPโ€™s Nigel Farage and UKIP donor Arron Banks, founder of the rival Leave.EU, to accuse Vote Leave of having โ€œno real cross-party supportโ€.

Lawsonโ€™s new chairmanship is the latest example of climate science deniers taking the charge when it comes to leading the Brexit campaign. Catch up with all ofย DeSmogย UKโ€™s coverage here:

Why Are Climate Deniers Campaigning for Britain to Leave theย EU?

Climate Deniers Farage and Lawson to Debate Nick Clegg onย EUย Referendum

Five Climate Change Questions for Lord Lawson at the Next Big Brexit Debate
ย 

You can also click here for an overview on Brexit climateย deniers.

Photo via Wikimedia

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Kyla is a freelance writer and editor with work appearing in the New York Times, National Geographic, HuffPost, Mother Jones, and Outside. She is also a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists.

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