Kipper Wars (15/05/15)
Civil war seems to have broken out in UKIP as well as the Labour Party as leading 'Ukipppers' fall out over what to do with their new found riches, courtesy of having won so many votes although only one seat at the last week's general election.
Now I've always thought Douglas Carswell seemed like a principled chap, if slightly bonkers politically speaking, because he resigned his seat and fought a by-election instead of just switching sides as so many Westminster MPs have done down the years.
So I hope Douglas Carswell stands his ground and refuses to waste public money by employing the equivalent of 15 members of staff and if they try to push him around he can always walk away, which is really quite hilarious.
Ukip at war over £650,000-a-year taxpayer cash windfall
Douglas Carswell, seen here campaigning with Nigel Farage in Clacton before the election, said: "I am not a senator ... I don’t need 15 staff" Richard Pohle
By Laura Pitel - The Times
A furious row has broken out at Ukip over the party’s plans for millions of pounds of public money secured after its record election result.
Douglas Carswell, the party’s only MP, has said that Ukip should not take the full £650,000-a-year windfall that it is entitled to after winning 3.9 million votes.
Party officials, however, argue that they have a duty to represent the millions of people who voted for the party and should make the use of all available resources to do so.
They are said to have taken a proposal to Mr Carswell yesterday to hire 15 members of staff to perform research and conduct administrative work.
He has sought to block the proposal. The MP told The Times: “I am not a senator, for goodness’ sake. I don’t need 15 staff.”
He has said that Ukip should accept just £350,000, arguing that it would be hypocritical for the anti-establishment party to “get on the gravy train”.
The public funding, known as Short Money, is granted by Commons authorities to help opposition parties with their parliamentary work.
Tensions between Mr Carswell, a former Conservative MP, and his new party have reached new lows in recent days since the resignation and subsequent reinstatement of Nigel Farage as party leader.
Following Mr Farage’s resignation from the role last week after he failed to win his own South Thanet seat, the MP for Clacton made clear that he thought the party should make a fresh start under a new leader.
He said that Ukip was “not a one-man show” and that the party members “need to reflect”.
He was informed of Monday’s decision by the Ukip national executive to return Mr Farage to the helm by a journalist, and was furious that no one in the party had told him.
As Ukip’s only MP, Mr Carswell has an advantage in the latest row. Were he to become so furious with his new party that he chose to become an independent or defect to another party, Ukip would no longer be eligible for the money.
Unless the party wins another by-election, or secures another defector, he is effectively able to hold them to ransom to the tune of £650,000 a year.
