Yahoo News Ex-Ukip MP Douglas Carswell under pressure to call a by-election as Nigel Farage says every voter in Clacton will be asked if they want one
Douglas Carswell is facing pressure to call a by-election after Nigel Farage said every voter in the ex-Ukip MP’s Clacton constituency will be asked if they want one.
Former Ukip donor Arron Banks is paying for the Electoral Reform Society to canvas Clacton constituents to see if they think Mr Carswell should call a by-election after he suddenly quit the UK Independence Party on Saturday.
Mr Farage, the former Ukip leader, said the plan would “test how honourable he is” because Mr Carswell argued in 2012 that constituents should be asked if they want a by-election if more than 20 per cent demanded one.
The news came as Mr Carswell refused to rule out rejoining the Conservatives before the next general election, telling the BBC's Sunday Politics programme: “Let’s wait and see.”
MPs can only be legally required to be subjected to a “recall petition” if they are sent to prison or suspended from the House of Commons for at least 21 days.
In these circumstances, “at least 10 per cent of eligible electors” have to agree that a by-election should be called.
However Mr Carswell went further in 2012, stating that a by-election could be called if 20 per cent of local people petitioned the local returning officer, and more than half of them wanted one.
He said then: “Only if over half of those whom an MP is supposed to serve voted ‘yes’ to the question ‘Should your MP be recalled?’, would there then be a by election (or perhaps one might call it the ‘bye, bye’ election?)”.
Mr Farage urged Mr Carswell to call a by election. He told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: “One of his big crusades in parliament has been recall. Real recall, where he himself has said that if 20 per cent of constituents want a by-election, they should have one
Timeline | UK Independence Party (Ukip)
“So what we’re going to do: we’re going to test how honourable he is. We’re going to write, through the Electoral Reform Society, to every house in Clacton, whether they want him, now he’s moved, to stand for a by-election. Perhaps then we’ll find out who the real Douglas Carswell is.”
Asked if he were “gutted” by Mr Carswell’s resignation, Mr Farage replied: “Thank God. No!. He’s been working against us for a very long time. Sadly, too many in UKIP were prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Ukip leader Paul Nuttall also said he would like to see a by-election in Clacton. He told the Sunday Politics: “Douglas has called by elections in the past when he has left a political party.
“If 20 per cent of people within his constituency want a by election then maybe he should go ahead and we should have one. UKIP will be opening nominations for Clacton very soon.”
However Mr Carswell insisted he would not call a by-election because he had not switched parties.
He said: “There’s a profound difference. I’m not submitting myself to the authority, to the whip of a new party. If I was doing so then quite rightly, as I did previously, I would feel obliged to trigger a by election.
“Look at it this way. If every time an MP in the House of Commons either resigned the whip or lost the whip far from actually strengthening the democracy against the party bosses that would actually give those who ran parties enormous power.
“So I’m being absolutely consistent here, I’m not joining a party, I’m not cross the floor so I don’t need to call a by-election.”
Government minister Rob Wilson suggested on Twitter the Tories would not want Mr Carswell back in the party.
@christopherhope@afneil are you sure about that?
— Rob Wilson MP (@RobWilson_RDG) March 26, 2017
Separately, Ukip is refusing to pay back £200,000 to Mr Banks for its use of his call centres and membership services. Asked if he would pay the cash back, Ukip leader Paul Nuttall told the BBC's Sunday Politics: “No, no.”
