Tory Douglas Carswell has defected to UKIP and quit as MP for Clacton, saying he will contest the subsequent by-election for Nigel Farage’s party.
If he wins the support of voters he will be the first elected UK Independence Party MP in the Commons.
The maverick Eurosceptic backbencher said did not believe Prime Minister David Cameron was “serious about the change we need” in Europe.
The PM described his defection as “regrettable” and “counter-productive”.
Not easy
Mr Carswell said the decision to jump ship from the Conservatives had given him “sleepless nights” but he wanted to see “fundamental change in British politics” and UKIP – a party he believed belonged to its members rather than a “little clique” of political insiders – could deliver it.
“This hasn’t been an easy decision. I have been a member of the Conservative Party all my adult life. It’s full of wonderful people who want the best for Britain.
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