Yorkshire Tory PPC defects to UKIP

A Conservative PPC and councillor in Yorkshire has defected to UKIP.

Cllr Mike Whitehead was the Conservative PPC for Hull West & Hessle until the weekend when he resigned his membership and joined the people's army. He is currently a councillor for Willerby & Kirkella ward on East Riding Council.

Cllr Whitehead describes a culture of bullying and intimidation in the local Conservative Party and a lack of interest by the national party in dealing with the problem.

Both Cllr Whitehead and his former Conservative colleague, Cllr Mick Burchill, who defected to UKIP last week will be standing for re-election as UKIP candidates in the local elections.

UKIP win in Bridlington

UKIP candidate, Malcolm Milns, won a by-election yesterday in Bridlington to take UKIP's first seat on East Riding Council.

Milns is already a town councillor for Bridlington and won the East Riding seat comfortably.

Bridlington is a working class northern town that has problems with unemployment, health and a dwindling tourist economy - proof, if proof were needed, that UKIP prospers in Labour's post-industrial heartlands just as much as it does in the leafy suburbs and country towns that have traditionally been Tory strongholds.

Name	Party	Votes	%
Malcolm Milns	UKIP	401	30.85%
John Copsey	Conservative	352	27.08%
Liam Dealtry	Independent	217	16.69%
Terry Dixon	Independent	214	16.46%
Neil Tate	Independent	116	8.92%