UKIP Defections: PM Did Too Little, Too Late
Updated: 10:09pm UK, Saturday 27 September 2014
By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent
During the 2010 election, I travelled to Rochester and Strood in Kent, where I met the Tory candidate Mark Reckless.
One thing that struck me as I watched him take to the doorsteps, was the number of constituents raising the issue of immigration.
One awkward incident involved an elderly man ranting about why he supported the far-right National Front. Mr Reckless backed off, embarrassed.
He certainly didn't share those extreme views. But it was clear then that he was a politician who was worried about immigration and angry about Europe.
I remember another conversation with Mr Reckless last year in the Commons.
Tory backbenchers were nervous about immigration, he told me. They felt David Cameron hadn't done enough, and the looming prospect of transitional controls lifted on Bulgarians and Romanians was of particular concern.
Things could get tetchy in January 2015, he said.
Mr Cameron knew about these misgivings among his MPs and tried to act on them.
Late last year he unveiled a toughening up in the rhetoric on immigration – bringing in new rules to crack down on the access that new EU migrants would get to benefits. Then came the pledge of an EU referendum.
The hope was to appease the concerns of people like Mr Reckless, and you might have thought it was working.
After all, following the defection to UKIP of Douglas Carswell many asked the MP if he would be next. He insisted not.
When I texted Tracey Crouch, a neighbouring MP in Kent, about his decision to leave the Tories, she replied: "Nothing I can say right now would be becoming of a lady. I'm so angry. He looked me in the eye and promised he wasn't going to defect."
Others pointed out that he was openly supportive of the Conservatives as recently as yesterday.
Then he tweeted: "Good to lead coach for Team2015 campaigning in Birmingham Northfield on Sunday + will be followed by our Clacton action next Thursday."
That is why Tory sources say they are "surprised". Other MPs told me they felt "let down", "frustrated" and "fed up".
"Another battle when we should be fighting Labour," said one.
Others argued that although he had behaved irresponsibly, giving a leg-up to Ed Miliband, that a number of backbenchers were angry with the party's position on Europe.
They believe that Mr Cameron hasn't done enough to prove he can loosen Britain's ties to the EU. They want to see the issue addressed at his conference speech this week.
The problem for men like Mr Reckless is they don't share the Prime Minister's views on Europe.
Mr Cameron wants to reform the UK's relationship with the continent and then – ideally – campaign for us to stay IN.
And that is the sticking point with Mr Reckless.
The former Tory MP was clear today that he believes in an independent Britain, and wants to follow the Scotland Yes campaign with what he said was a positive, patriotic message for voters.
He wants OUT – and UKIP is the only party that is fully with him.
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