Tory MP Mark Reckless joins UKIP and resigns to force by-election

[muriel_volestrangler]

Conservative MP Mark Reckless has announced that he is joining UKIP.

The Rochester and Strood MP told the UKIP conference, in Doncaster, that he has resigned as an MP, triggering a by-election in the constituency.
...
He claimed the Conservative leadership was "part of the problem that is holding our country back".
...
He won his seat in 2010 with 23,604 votes - 49% of the vote. Labour's Teresa Murray came second, with 13,651 votes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29394697

Well, I agree about the Tory leadership holding the UK back, but probably not in the way Reckless (!) thinks.

[T_i_B]

1. Tempted to say "like rats from a sinking ship"

Although that might not be the whole story.

Don't know much about Reckless, other then that he seems as anti-EU as Douglas Carswell. Also don't know if Rochester will be as receptive to UKIP as Clacton.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

6. Rochester and Strood

The constituency includes a lot of rural affluent towns (which are solidly Conservative council seats). Rochester contains Labour/Conservative marginal wards and Strood is solidly Labour. I do believe that there have been some boundary changes since Labour last held the seat, which favour the Conservatives.

Since 2010 local Labour have had low organisational capacity in R&S and were never likely to overhaul Reckless' majority in 2015.

There are enough votes (and lethargy and depressed turn-out amongst Labour voters) for Reckless to carry the constituency for UKIP. There is an outside chance that Labour could sneak in between a UKIP-Tory horse race but I wouldn't count on it. Disenchantment with the government and protest votes would favour the establishment figure Reckless in "anti-establishment" purple clothing.

It's rather depressing stuff.

[LeftishBrit]

2. He's probably best known for admitting that he missed an important vote because he was too drunk!

He's also a very good friend of Horrible Hannan.

Any guesses what will happen with the seat? I know it was once held by anti-Blair Labourite, Bob Marshall-Andrews; but I think there have been a lot of boundary changes since then.

I must say that the name 'Mark Reckless' sounds more like a character from the Beano that a grown-up MP; but maybe that's appropriate in his case!

[non sociopath skin]

3. He's more Viz than Beano, I suspect

All this and Brooks Newman too!



How d'ya like THEM pre-Conference apples, Dave?

Bet you didn't think you'd end up wishing you'd had as good a week as Ed Miliband!

The Skin

[T_i_B]

4. By Viz I presume you mean....

Last edited Mon Sep 29, 2014, 07:20 AM - Edit history (1)

..."Baxter Basics MP"! https://www.flickr.com/photos/norbet/6225794203/

Sleaze, resignations, defections..... The Tories seem to be stuck in a bigger 90's time warp then my CD collection!

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Ha-ha - "co-founded the campaign group Women2Win"!

Tory minister Brooks Newmark announced his resignation tonight - after exchanging X-rated pictures with an undercover reporter posing as a young female activist.

Married father-of-five Brooks Newmark, 56, said he was “so sorry” after the investigation found he had contacted the freelance male reporter online before swapping sexually explicit images.

The new Minister for Civil Society, who co-founded the campaign group Women2Win, initiated a private message conversation on a social networking site and as part of a series of exchanges sent a graphic picture exposing himself while wearing a pair of paisley pyjamas

While campaigning in Clacton today ahead of the upcoming by-election he sent a text asking the reporter to meet at this week’s Conservative Party Conference, writing: “Afternoons fairly full with speaking engagements but around late evenings. Promise we’ll meet up though. X.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tory-minister-brooks-newmark-quits-4335398

[non sociopath skin]

8. As John Littledick would say, "You couldn't make it up"

The Skin

[LeftishBrit]

7. Or 'The New Statesman'!

Yes, it's all bringing back the memories.

[T_i_B]

9. UKIP's Reckless wins Rochester and Strood seat

Terrible news.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30140747

UKIP has its second elected MP at Westminster after Mark Reckless won the Rochester and Strood by-election.

Mr Reckless received 16,867 votes, 2,920 more than Conservative candidate Kelly Tolhurst's 13,947, with Labour's Naushabah Khan third on 6,713.

The Green Party came fourth, while the Lib Dems got their lowest total ever.

[LeftishBrit]

10. There is only one suitable word for this; and it is

AAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[T_i_B]

11. Worse then Clacton IMHO

In Clacton's case, UKIP had a politician with a track record as a good constituency MP defecting and the constituency itself couldn't be better suited to UKIP.

I can't speak for what Rochester is like as a constituency but reports about Mark Reckless are that he is not a good politician on any level.

[LeftishBrit]

12. Some may wish to sign this Hope Not Hate pledge

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/s/im-with-the-85