The end of UKIP as an electoral force? Carswell quits to become independent MP

Last Updated: March 26, 2017By

Isn’t it interesting that Douglas Carswell is refusing to call a by-election now he has quit UKIP – saying he’ll sit as an independent MP instead?

He reckons having a by-election every time someone quits a party would strengthen party leaders.

He says he hasn’t changed party – even though he demonstrably has changed away from UKIP.

And he says he has won four elections in his Clacton constituency already.

Isn’t it more likely that he doesn’t think he can win a fifth time, considering the fuss he has caused over the last two or three years?

The kick in the teeth for UKIP – whose ex-leader, Nigel Farage, wanted Carswell to quit and whose current leader, Paul Nuttall, welcomed the decision – is that the party will now lose £217,000 of opposition funding.

Needless to say, the social media have been having a ball with the announcement (most particularly Aaron Bastani, it seems):

What next for UKIP? Watch this space – and, if you’re a Kipper, pray that it doesn’t remain empty for some time to come.

UKIP’s Douglas Carswell is quitting the party to become an independent MP and says he is doing so “amicably”.

The party’s only MP defected from the Conservatives in 2014.

Former leader Nigel Farage recently called on Mr Carswell to quit, accusing him of “actively working against UKIP”.

Party leader Paul Nuttall said Mr Carswell was “committed to Brexit, but was never a comfortable Ukipper”. There are now calls within UKIP for the Clacton MP to call a by-election.

Source: Douglas Carswell quitting UKIP to become independent MP for Clacton – BBC News

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5 Comments

  1. Neilth March 26, 2017 at 7:57 am - Reply

    Hopefully UKIP will now receive the attention it merits from the msm. One very rarely hears about the greens who have one mp. UKIP are largely a product of the broadcasting media especially whose devoted coverage of what is, after all, a one issue pressure group has served to inflate its importance. Farage was extremely skilled as a self publicist gaining disproportionate media attention while maintaining an alarming degree of inconsistency on virtually every pronouncement. If the media hadn’t given this nasty intolerant, racist cabal any attention it would have withered on the vine.

    Compare and contrast with the kind of negative publicity that is aimed at Corbyn since his elevation. It’s clear that the media don’t report the news they largely create it. There are examples from all over the world where tyrants gain power or merely credibility from being talked about in the media – the so called president being a notable example.

  2. marcusdemowbray March 26, 2017 at 8:04 am - Reply

    Let me get this straight: UKIP was the Party which spread an enormous amount of lies and negative propaganda against EU and was one reason why we had the Referendum and decided on Brexit. Now UKIP has no MPs, but it still more “democratic” for UK to follow the agenda of a Party with absolutely no MPs than to cancel Brexit and get on with business as usual?

  3. NMac March 26, 2017 at 8:14 am - Reply

    Sadly, this nasty bunch of corrupt and dishonest individuals conned a lot of people for a long time. They will not be missed.

  4. Roland Laycock March 26, 2017 at 9:04 am - Reply

    A Douglas Carswell Far Right Winger going from one tory party to another if liberals had any think about them they would say not just goes to show how right wing they are

    • Mike Sivier March 26, 2017 at 1:35 pm - Reply

      I do not understand what you are trying to say.

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