Tory MPs may defect to UKIP, claims Farage

[T_i_B]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/politics/article-24002924-tory-mps-may-defect-to-ukip-claims-farage.do

David Cameron'S European troubles deepened today as Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, claimed Tory MPs may defect after Monday's revolt over an EU referendum.

In an exclusive interview with the Evening Standard, Nigel Farage said Conservative MPs, MEPs and peers had told him privately of their dissatisfaction with Mr Cameron's stance.

"I'm not going to tell you they are on the verge of coming across," he said. "All I can tell you is that it's being discussed. I do know people in the Conservative Party - and I've spoken to some this morning - who are deeply depressed at the moment. Some of them have got to be asking themselves, 'What if a whole group of us went to Ukip?'"

Former treasurer Lord Hesketh defected to Ukip recently, as did Paul Oakley, former London chairman of the Tory youth wing. Lord Tebbit, the former Conservative chairman and a hero on the Eurosceptic Right, said last week that some Tories would be "wondering if it is worthwhile any more".

[dipsydoodle]

1. I've read elsewhere

that even IDS wasn't too impressed with this debacle and he made it clear that next time he won't toe the line.

Out of curiosity, depsite the unlikelyhood of the event , what would happen if they all legged it over to Ukip ? Another general election ?

[non sociopath skin]

2. I think I'd take anything the baggy-trousered one said with a hefty pinch of Saxa

The Skin

[tjwmason]

4. Not sure if it's what you were referencing

but the name of the group who wrote Baggy Trousers seems somewhat apt.

[non sociopath skin]

5. I've always thought of UKIP as the Baggy Trousered Misanthropists ....

... on account of their sartorial savoir faire being on a par with their political nous.

The Skin

[tjwmason]

3. In his dreams.

I'm sure that there's a lot of dissatisfaction among M.P.s - but that doesn't translate to swapping to join a bunch of unelectable loons. The M.P.s know the electoral maths well enough to know that there's no way they'd be re-elected.

[Mark Baker]

6. But with 50 less constituencies next time?

Some of them might be unsure of being re-elected (or indeed selected) next time anyway, so they may think it's worth the risk. If they were locally already a popular MP and stood for UKIP they would probably take a lot of voters with them.

Lets hope so anyway, splitting the right wing vote has got to be a good thing.

[ikri]

9. Virtually no one votes for a specific MP

Unless your local MP is a party bigwig and has a decent media profile then no one would notice if you replaced them with another identical party apparatchik. I like to think that I keep up with politics but I couldn't tell you who my local MP is (some newbie who the Labour hierarchy parachuted into the constituency to replace the sitting Labour MP who wouldn't toe the party line).

For your average Tory back bencher, switching to UKIP would be electoral suicide. The 99% of voters who already wouldn't recognise them if they passed them in the street won't suddenly recognise them after they switch party.

In theory we do vote for our local MP, in practice most people vote for a party.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

7. Doubt it

The lust of and will to power is in the DNA of every Tory MP. Even if these MPs agree more with the official UKIP line, they're not going to leave a party that's in power for one that has little chance of forming a government.

The Tory right earnestly hold the opinion that "not being right-wing enough" cost them a majority. I suspect they are hoping for a Tory majority in 2015 and a press to the right without Dave having to accommodate Nick's lot.

[LeftishBrit]

8. I seriously doubt it.

Might happen with Euro-MPs; but British MPs would almost certainly lose their seats if they defected to UKIP. And no MP wants to lose their seat.

Even people who aren't all that keen on the EU as such tend to regard people like Farage as complete lunatics.

[oldironside]

10. It's one of those strange situations...

... where even Eurosceptic Tory MPs are right. ;-)

[MichaelMcGuire]

11. Every time I think of this guy this picture comes into my head

Not sure I should be ashamed of that?