UK Government Lawmaker Defects To Anti-Eu Party

A Conservative lawmaker has defected to the U.K. Independence Party and quit his parliamentary seat, sparking a by-election less than a year before Britain faces a general election.



Douglas Carswell, who represents Clacton, Essex, announced Thursday he would resign because of his disillusionment with Conservative policy on Europe.



If Carswell wins the by-election, he will be the Eurosceptic party's first member of parliament.



He said: "This hasn't been an easy decision. I've been a member of the Conservative party all my adult life."



He added: "The problem is that many of those at the top of the Conservative party are simply not on our side. They aren't serious about the change that Britain so desperately needs.



"Of course, they talk the talk before elections. They say what they feel they must say to get our support when they want our support."



Carswell has represented Clacton since 2005 and had a majority of more than 12,000 at the last election.



Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K. Independence Party, known as UKIP, said Carswell's decision was "the bravest, noblest, most honorable thing I've seen in British politics in my life."



In TV interviews he indicated that other Conservative lawmakers were considering defecting to UKIP.



A Conservative spokesman said: "This is a regrettable and frankly counterproductive decision… The Conservative party will contest the forthcoming by-election vigorously to make sure the people in Clacton have a strong Conservative voice in this parliament and the next."



UKIP won 27 percent of the vote in May's European election, returning 24 lawmakers to the European Parliament.



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