ONLY UKIP MP QUITS TO GO INDEPENDENT
UKIP’S only MP has quit the party, declaring “job done” as Theresa May prepares to trigger Brexit and admitting he joined to try to ensure a less divisive Leave campaign in the EU referendum.
Douglas Carswell’s resignation was met with suggestions by senior Ukip figures that he was actively working to undermine the party and he quit before being kicked out.
But the Clacton MP, who insisted he does not have to call a by-election because he will sit as an independent rather than joining another party, denied that he was involved in “subterfuge”.
Amid claims that he only defected from the Tories as part of a plot to marginalise Nigel Farage’s role in the EU referendum, Mr Carswell admitted he wanted the Brexit campaign to be more “positive”, apparently referring to the former leader’s controversial views on immigration.
But the MP told Sky News: “The idea that I was involved in sort of subterfuge or some sort of covert operation is nonsense.
“I called a press conference in central London on August 28, 2014, and I said at that press conference very clearly when I was announcing that I was joining Ukip, that Ukip and Euroscepticism needed to be positive and upbeat.
“When I won the Clacton by-election a few weeks later, I gave a speech where I said Euroscepticism to win the referendum needed to be a force that appealed to all Britain and all Britons, first and second generation as much as any other.
“I spent the referendum campaign arguing that the people running the campaign should be positive and broad-minded.
“I don’t think any of this is something that I’ve kept secret, and it’s no secret either that some in Ukip wanted to make sure that Ukip ran the referendum campaign.
“I’ve been pretty open about the fact that Eurosceptism to be a force for change needs to be inclusive, upbeat, progressive and forward-looking.”
Mr Carswell also revealed he had not spoken to Mr Farage since around December and urged him to be more positive “about the fact that on Wednesday, we win” – referring to the Prime Minister’s intention to invoke Article 50 to begin the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
Mr Carswell was due to face a grilling on Monday from party chiefs over the claims that he joined the party to restrict Mr Farage’s involvement in the EU referendum.
His departure follows a long-running feud with the former leader, who claimed the MP was “never Ukip” and had “sought to undermine us”.
Ukip leader Paul Nuttall said the party has not benefited “financially or organisationally” from Mr Carswell’s presence in the House of Commons and so his departure would make “no difference” to his reform agenda.
“Douglas was genuinely committed to Brexit, but was never a comfortable Ukipper,” said Mr Nuttall, who in February failed to get elected as an MP in what he called the “capital of Brexit” in Stoke-on-Trent Central.
He went on: “As we redefine our mission and take up the next phase of our campaign to rebuild a confident, independent nation, Douglas would have been increasingly outof-kilter with our members’ aspirations.
“We now have an opportunity to put behind us the most damaging internal conflict which has dogged us over the past year and look forward with optimism and unity of purpose to the very real challenges of policing Brexit and further reforming the vigorous democracy of the UK.”
Mr Carswell immediately faced calls to trigger a by-election from Ukip’s biggest financial backer, Arron Banks, a close ally of Mr Farage.
Mr Banks first threatened to stand against Mr Carswell when his feud with Mr Farage blew up earlier this month over claims that the MP played a role in blocking a knighthood for the former leader. But it is unclear whether Mr Banks would be able to fight an election under Ukip’s banner as he is no longer a member of the party.