LONDON: Britain’s anti-EU UKIP party, which threatens to split the right ring vote and hand victory to Labour in 2015 elections, has suffered a reverse with the defection of one of its members to the Tories, triggering a war of words on Sunday.

Amjad Bashir, a little-known member of the European Parliament, described his former party in The Sunday Telegraph as one of “ruthless self-interest” with a “ridiculous” lack of policies, while UKIP said it had already suspended Bashir after becoming “alarmed” by his behaviour.

UKIP, often mocked for its members’ lack of party discipline and unsophisticated policies, has nethertheless shaken up the political landscape in Britain over the past few years.

The Tories have become increasingly concerned by the popularity of UKIP’s anti-EU stance and leader Nigel Farage’s ‘man of the people’ appeal.

UKIP now has two MPs following defections from the Conservative Party and won the European parliamentary elections held in May. UKIP said on Sunday it had already suspended MEP Bashir before the news on Saturday that he hadjoined Tories.

“We have been increasingly alarmed by Mr Bashir’s behaviour over the last few months,” Farage told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme. “I tell you what he can’t deny and that’s his continuing association with political extremists from Pakistan despite us saying please, please, keep away”.

He repeated claims that Bashir “didn’t tell us the truth” about allegations illegal immigrants were employed in his restaurant business and said there were “some big open questions in Brussels about money”.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2015

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