Cameron blow as Tory MP Douglas Carswell defects to Ukip

British prime minister David Cameron suffered an unexpected setback today when a lawmaker from his ruling Conservative party resigned and defected to the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) party which has no seats in the British parliament.

The move, by Douglas Carswell, a prominent Eurosceptic, will trigger a high-profile election for his parliamentary seat in southern England as he tries to get re-elected to represent UKIP, which wants Britain to leave the European Union.

His defection is awkward for Mr Cameron who is himself seeking re-election in May next year. If he wins power again, Mr Cameron has promised to try to reshape Britain’s relationship with the EU before giving Britons an in/out membership referendum by the end of 2017.

But Mr Carswell said he thought Mr Cameron and his party were not serious about securing real EU change.

“His (Cameron’s) advisors have made it clear that they’re looking to cut a deal that gives them just enough to persuade enough voters to vote to stay in (the EU),” Mr Carswell told a news conference in central London.

“That’s the game plan. It’s not about giving real change to our national interest, it’s about not changing things. It’s about hanging onto office. Once I realised that my position in the Conservative party became untenable.”

Reuters