MP for Clacton announces he is to become independent MP, having previously defected to Ukip from the Conservatives

Ukip’s only member of parliament, Douglas Carswell, has quit the party to become an independent MP, prompting a backlash from within Ukip and among its supporters. In a sign of the deep divisions within the party, however, Carswell immediately faced calls from the Ukip donor Arron Banks to trigger a byelection so the businessman could stand against him. He said the party's main goal of winning Britain's exit from the European Union had been achieved now that Prime Minister Theresa May is set to trigger Article 50 on Wednesday to begin the negotiations. The MP has been at the centre of a battle for control of Ukip since Nigel Farage departed as leader in July last year, shortly after the UK voted to leave the EU.
The UK Independence Party (UKIP)'s only MP, Douglas Carswell, quits the party to become an independent MP.