Tories lose vexatious court case against Mark Reckless

Rochester & Strood Conservatives have lost their vexatious court case against UKIP MP, Mark Reckless.

The Conservatives had hoped to set the dangerous precedent that politicians defecting to another party could be made to repay money their former party had spent on promoting them. Whilst sour grapes no doubt played a big part in the decision to bring the case against Mark Reckless and his agent, Chris Irvine, the Conservative Party will almost certainly have been pushing them to do it in the hope that it would scare other Tory councillors and MPs off defecting to UKIP.

The Conservatives have reportedly been ordered to pay £1,850 in costs.