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Tory MP Mark Reckless joins UKIP Mark Reckless defects to UKIP from Tories
(35 minutes later)
Conservative MP Mark Reckless has announced that he is joining UKIP. Tory MP Mark Reckless has said he is joining UKIP, becoming the second MP from his party to do so in less than a month.
The Rochester and Strood MP told the UKIP conference, in Doncaster, that he has resigned as an MP, triggering a by-election in the constituency. The Rochester and Strood MP told the UKIP conference in Doncaster he had resigned as an MP, triggering a by-election in his constituency.
Delegates started to spontaneously chant "UKIP, UKIP" when Mr Reckless announced his decision to defect, which he said was not easy. Mr Reckless criticised "the insanity of our immigration rules" during his address to the party's conference.
The move comes just weeks after Clacton MP Douglas Carswell defected from the Conservatives to join UKIP. It comes weeks after Clacton MP Douglas Carswell joined UKIP from the Tories.
Mr Carswell announced that he would stand down as an MP in his constituency to seek re-election in a by-election. Mr Carswell said he was standing down as an MP to seek re-election in his constituency for UKIP.
Appearing on stage to a rapturous reception at the conference, he said: "Today I am leaving the Conservative party and joining UKIP." Appearing on stage at the conference to a rapturous reception, Mr Reckless said: "Today I am leaving the Conservative party and joining UKIP."
Commenting on his decision, Mr Reckless said he had not taken it lightly. He said he had not taken the decision lightly.
He claimed the Conservative leadership was "part of the problem that is holding our country back". Mr Reckless said the Conservative leadership was "part of the problem that is holding our country back".
Mr Reckless said voters felt "ripped off and lied to". He said voters felt "ripped off and lied to".
He won his seat in 2010 with 23,604 votes - 49% of the vote. Labour's Teresa Murray came second, with 13,651 votes. Best and brightest
On immigration, Mr Reckless said constituents needed to believe that the UK had control over who comes into the country, adding: "At the moment we do not have any sense of that."
He said: "Does anyone left or right genuinely support an immigration system where we turn away the best and brightest from our Commonwealth, people with links and family here in order to make room for unskilled immigration from southern and eastern Europe.
"I promise to cut immigration while treating people fairly and humanely. I cannot keep that promise as a Conservative.
"I can keep it as UKIP."
In response to the defection, a Conservative party spokesman said: "Mark Reckless's decision to join UKIP is completely illogical. He says he wants action on a European referendum, tax and immigration.
"The only party capable of delivering on these issues is the Conservative Party - and a vote for UKIP is a vote for Ed Miliband."
'Nightmare scenario'
Mr Reckless won his seat in 2010 with a majority of 9,953 votes over Labour's Teresa Murray.
Following the announcement of the latest defection to UKIP, Labour's shadow minister for the cabinet office, Michael Dugher, said: "This is a hammer blow to David Cameron's already weakened authority.
"On the eve of his conference we again see that Conservatives' confidence in Cameron is plummeting. David Cameron has always pandered to his right, and even they are now deserting him."
BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said it was a "nightmare scenario for the Conservative party", a scene that the Conservative leadership "hoped they would never see".