Bannerman betrays UKIP and rejoins Tories

And so it has finally happened. We predicted it sometime ago. See: LINK

This is what we said in September 2010:

A Tory MP of our acquaintance told us that earlier this year Bannerman contacted senior Tory officials in Brussels and the Eastern Region with an offer to rejoin them IF he was allowed to be their lead MEP candidate in 2014.

So when was Bannerman going to tell the membership of UKIP about his plan to jump ship and return to the Tory fold?

Here is Bannerman's full statement:

"I have been increasingly impressed by the leadership shown by David Cameron in dealing with this country's problems. In particular, the Government's determination to clean up the economic mess left by Labour.

"Similarly in Europe, I have been pleased with the robust stance taken by David Cameron and Conservative MEPs over the EU budget negotiations and I believe that it is Conservative MEPs who are working hard to defend Britain's interests. In contrast, as a member of UKIP I witnessed too many colleagues obsess with single issue politics, internal fighting, and shouting from the sidelines. This behaviour does nothing to serve the best interests of the British people.

"With the recent failings in domestic elections, the ditching of policies and the lack of any credible plan, UKIP has confirmed it is not a serious, credible, fully fledged political party but merely a pressure group. I have been a proud member of the Conservative Party in the past and I am proud to come home to the Conservatives today. Once again, the Conservative Party is proving, as it has so many times before, that it is the only party that can be trusted to sort out Britain's economy and stand up for Britain in Europe.

"I stood for the European Parliament because I wanted to work for the best interests of the United Kingdom and my constituents in the Eastern region. I now feel that I can best serve them and their interests as a Conservative member of the European Parliament. Of course, I have not always seen eye to eye with the Conservative Party on every issue. I continue to believe personally that Britain should leave the EU but I also believe that while we are members we should fight our corner to secure the best deal possible."

And Farage was the last to know! More on this later.