South Wales East AM Mark Reckless has defected from UKIP to the Conservatives, it has been confirmed.
By Mr Reckless voting with the Tories, it makes the group the second largest in the Senedd with 12 seats compared to 11 Plaid Cymru Assembly Members.
The Assembly’s UKIP group has called on Mr Reckless to resign.
In a press statement Mr Reckless said: “Since being elected to the Assembly in May I have been thoroughly impressed by the performance and discipline of [Welsh Conservative leader] Andrew RT Davies and the Welsh Conservative Group.
“The Prime Minister’s leadership since taking office has also been exemplary and she has been steadfast in her position to deliver on the wishes of the people of Wales and the United Kingdom, building a united country that works for everyone and not just the privileged few.
“I want to be part of a strong and united team of Assembly Members in Cardiff Bay – one which continues to shine a light on the failures of Labour’s Carwyn Jones and his friends in Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats.”
Andrew RT Davies AM said: “Since being elected to the Senedd last year Mark has proven himself to be a hard-working and dedicated AM who has been an effective representative for the South East Wales region.
“He will now be able to continue this work as part of a strong and united team which will be the official opposition in the Assembly.
“Following the Assembly elections last May we’ve seen more of the same in Cardiff Bay with Labour being kept in power with the support of Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats and still failing to deliver for people and communities across Wales.
“Mark’s decision to join the group is testament to the strength and unity of the Welsh Conservative team in Cardiff Bay which provides the only real opposition to a tired and complacent Labour administration.”
Job done: Why I am joining the Conservative Group in the Welsh Assembly pic.twitter.com/7TFh9JD6zE
— Mark Reckless AM (@MarkReckless) April 6, 2017
Mr Reckless will now sit as an independent AM as part of the Conservative group, although a Welsh Conservative spokesman confirmed he is not a party member and is not seeking to be a party member.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, he was blocked from rejoining the party.
While serving as a Conservative MP for Kent constituency Rochester and Strood, Mr Reckless defected to UKIP in September 2014. He stood down to seek re-election at a by-election in November of the same year and, despite winning, eventually lost his seat in the 2015 General Election.
His return to the Tories signals another reduction in the number of UKIP members in the Assembly, from seven – elected in May last year – to five.
The party’s leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, announced in August last year he would sit as an independent in the Assembly after being elected as a regional AM for North Wales, amidst infighting and debate over his role as an MEP.
UKIP Chairman, Paul Oakden, said: “We are disappointed to hear that Mark Reckless has decided to leave UKIP in order to join the Conservatives in the Welsh Assembly.
“When Mark joined UKIP in 2014 we admired his long-term commitment to Brexit and his decision to put his country first.
“Having been elected as a Conservative in Rochester and Strood, Mark didn’t think it right to sit as an MP for another party without asking the electorate for their endorsement in a by-election. A position that was right as it was honourable. In the campaign that followed, our membership worked incredibly hard to ensure that Mark retained his seat.
“After losing his seat at the General Election, Mark was a popular colleague and a diligent Head of Policy for the Party, before being awarded a top position in the UKIP list for the Welsh Assembly Elections in 2016. Those elections gave voters in Wales the opportunity to support a party rather than a particular candidate and one in eight voters backed UKIP. As a result, Mark was one of two UKIP candidates from South Wales East elected to the Senedd.
“It is now incumbent on Mark Reckless to relinquish a position he has only by virtue of a UKIP mandate. The position should go to the next UKIP candidate on the regional list.”
Just goes to show that inside every UKIP AM is a tory trying to get out. I hope everyone that voted for UKIP is happy with that.
Consider Mohammad Ashgar, Plaid AM who did the same thing – joined the Tories.. I hope everybody that votes Plaid Cymru remembers that.
Good riddance, it does show up a flaw in the Welsh Assembly system. Reckless did not win on his own account he was elected because of the huge support for UKIP in S. E. Wales. I think a change of rule is required here, all list AMs are drawn from political parties, obviously an independent AM would have been elected on their own merit.
This being the case any list AM who leaves should immediately stand down and the next available list candidate from that party should take up the job. This has happened before when Plaid Cymru’s Mohammad Ashgar went from Plaid to the Tories.
This needs to be resolved by the Welsh Assembly, personally I do not like the list system and a better form of proportional representation should be adopted.
Just a case of 2 politicians who are looking after themselves – the public should remember that when they next go to the polls to vote
Unfortunately there are too many politicians looking after themselves. I have a different outlook and despite being elected have never wanted to be called a politician. Today, with a few honourable exceptions in every party, it has become a pejorative term.
From what I’ve read of your posts on this site Richard you appear not to be afraid to criticise organisations or the local authority when criticism is due and quite rightly to give praise when it’s due.
You stand up for local residents / communities – sadly and unfortunately many other councillors ( be it Borough or Community )and many MP’s seem quite comfortable in either remaining silent or afraid to speak out,possibly because they are only interested in furthering their own political careers.
Unlike you, many seem to forget that they have been elected by the public as their spokesperson to make sure that the voices of local residents and communities are heard.