I am now reporting that Wajid Khan will join the Conservative ranks tomorrow as a backbench MP. Doing so protects Khan from cynicism of the press and opposition of making such a political move for career advancement, or for monetary considerations. Khan joins the Tories without taking a position in either cabinet or as a Parliamentary secretary.
This move has been a long time coming and I expected to report on this just after the Liberal leadership convention as such a move would have been wise political strategy to deflate the post-convention bounce in the polls that benefitted the Liberal party.
Khan is expected to make a formal announcement tomorrow and will likely describe that he is switching parties because of the “values” that the Prime Minister represents.
UPDATE: Liberals are reportedly doing their best tonight to lobby Khan to keep him from leaving their caucus.
OTHER THOUGHTS: Khan should have to face nomination in his own riding with the local Conservative EDA before he should attain the label of “incumbent” in the next election. Khan switching to the Conservatives nets no discernible gain for Khan (from backbench MP to backbench MP) and it should net no discernible gain for him in the future (such as having his nomination grandfathered, as the Liberals do). Before Belinda Stronach faced the voters in Newmarket-Aurora, were the Liberal members of that riding given the opportunity to challenge her nomination before the next election? Let’s hope that Khan will have to stand for nomination for the party before he faces the voters.
UPDATE Jan 5, 9am: Dion draws a line in the sand. Susan Delacourt reports on the Liberal leader’s new ultimatum for Wajid Khan.
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