Lord Pearson visits Ludlow's next MP

Lord Pearson took a trip up the M6 today to visit Christopher Gill, the UKIP candidate for South Shropshire.

South Shropshire is a target seat for UKIP with Chris Gill (who was Conservative MP for the constituency a decade ago) worrying the incumbent Tory, Philip Dunne, so much that he's spent the last few days scaremongering about a hung election.  Rather than spending the last couple of days of the election campaign giving people a positive reason why they should vote for him, he has instead been making up bizarre scare stories about how interest rates will go up with a hung parliament!

Lord Pearson was shown around Bridgnorth by (amongst others) Shropshire PPCs Christopher Gill, Councillor Denis Allen and Malcolm Hurst; Councillor Derek Armstrong and UKIP NEC member, Councillor Jill Seymour.

Meanwhile, the Shropshire Star is very much of the opinion that Chris Gill is going to cause an upset on Thursday.

UKIP Telford & Wrekin Christmas Party

UKIP Telford & Wrekin had their Christmas party on Monday (my first Christmas party of the year).

The party was, naturally, organised by the formidable Jill Seymour and among the guests were Mike Nattrass MEP, Nikki Sinclair MEP and a number of PPCs, including Telford & Wrekin PPCs Councillor Denis Allen and Malcolm Hurst and Solihull PPC John Ison.

Telford & Wrekin's veteran activist, Councillor Ray Knight, was presented with a medal for outstanding service to the party by Mike Nattrass and Nikki Sinclaire.

Telford & Wrekin Branch AGM

The AGM of the Telford & Wrekin Branch last night was an interesting one.

As well as members of Telford & Wrekin branch, Mike Nattrass MEP, Nikki Sinclaire (prospective MEP), Malcolm Hurst (PPC), Derek Bennett (West Midlands Regional Organiser) and Roy Wood (Stafford Branch Chairman) came along to lend their support and welcome our newest member, Councillor Denis Allen.

Denis (who was, until recently, Chairman of Wrekin Conservative Association) addressed the branch on why he had decided to leave the Tories and join UKIP instead, on the duplicity of the Tories and the big con on their supposedly eurosceptic credentials. In the time-honoured tradition of our branch, Denis was thrown in at the deep end and elected as Chairman!

One ever-generous member volunteered to pay for twelve (expensive) billboards for the election campaign in the West Midlands which Mike Nattrass said he will match fund out of his own pocket. The branch also agreed to fund one out of branch funds which Mike Nattrass will also match, which means Telford & Wrekin branch has secured 26 billboards for the election campaign. The bar has been set for other branches now, Mike will match-fund whatever is pledged for billboards - drop him a line for more details.

Clarke joins front bench, Tories start to join UKIP

UKIP is gaining members because of Ken Clarke's return to the Tory front bench. "Clarke's views on Europe are so out of line with the bulk of the Tory Party membership that they simply cannot stand being in the same party any more." said Nigel Farage, UKIP leader.

Mike Nattrass, UKIP MEP for the West Midlands said "Only UKIP is firmly committed to leaving the EU so that we can be free and independent once again." "Tory MEPs consistently transfer power to the EU and that Tory policy is confirmed by Clark's return."

The first defector in the West Midlands is Denis Allen. A former Mayor of Wellington, a town councillor in Wellington, a councillor on Telford and Wrekin Unitary Authority and former cabinet member there. Denis has also been the Chairman of the Wrekin Conservative Association. After service as an officer in the RAF Regiment Mr. Allen went on to become a Lt. Colonel in the Light Infantry TA.

"I was already uncomfortable with the way that David Cameron fudged the issue of the Conservative membership of the EPP group in the European Parliament. But the appointment of such a strong europhile like Ken Clarke to the front bench was the last straw. We can see that we can't negotiate from within: they ignored the Dutch and the French referendums and they're ignoring the Irish now. We have to leave so that we can rule ourselves." said Denis Allen. "That's why I joined UKIP, the only party advocating that Britain should be ruled by the British."

Mike Nattrass added " Tory MEPs put their Group allowances into the "Yes" campaign and that says it all."