Imagine the meetings:

Murdoch: Right, we're going to get Farage, Johnson and Gove to fuck up the country and then stab Johnson and then we're going to a load of backstabbing and division in the Tory party, but we don't really want it to be portrayed like that, we'd rather it was over quickly. What we need is a diversion.

Blair: I've got this report thing coming out soon, that's going to make me look like a Bad Man, but I want it to be brushed over quickly. What I need is a diversion.

Murdoch, Blair, the Tory Party: We need a group of ambitious, power-hungry but essentially stupid people to do something ridiculously idiotic in the full glare of the media and press, and we need to drag it out long enough to cover up all the other shit that's going on that we've caused. Oh, and we need to get rid of that Corbyn, he's looking like a threat. Anyone got Hilary Benn's phone number?