In the past few minutes, Tory MP Douglas Carswell has announced at a special press conference that he is defecting to Ukip.
This is a surprise for a number of reasons. The first is that Ukip had given all impressions that they'd stopped trying to tempt MPs over after talks with several backbenchers failed. The second is that Carswell had appeared increasingly loyal to David Cameron after the Prime Minister pledged to hold a referendum in the next Parliament. In a long address covering his dissatisfaction with politics and the Conservative party, Carswell told the press conference that he thought 'they're not serious about it' and that the Prime Minister was only aiming to get sufficient changes that would get British voters to support staying in the European Union.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in