Conservative MP Mark Reckless Defects To UKIP

UKIP Steps Up Bid To Build Four-Party Politics

Updated: 9:45am UK, Saturday 27 September 2014

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Nigel Farage and UKIP are attempting to step up from a party of protest to genuine contenders in four-party politics.

After the European elections in May, they could legitimately claim to have done that, having topped the poll with 27.5% of the vote.

It was the first time since the 1906 general election that any party other than Labour or the Conservatives had come top in a national poll.

Now UKIP is bidding to win its first seat in a parliamentary election, when Douglas Carswell attempts to hold his Clacton seat in a by-election on 9 October triggered by his shock defection from the Conservatives. UKIP is also challenging Labour in another by-election on the same day in Heywood & Middleton.

But while Mr Carswell stands a good chance of turning his 12,068 Tory majority in 2010 into a comfortable win for his new party in Clacton, realistically UKIP will win no more than a handful of seats at next year's general election.

The party had hoped its conference this weekend would be a springboard to victory in the two by-elections next month and then a major breakthrough in next year's general election.

But suddenly, Parliament has been recalled to debate going to war and, with no MPs, UKIP has no influence on that decision and its conference is in danger of looking like a sideshow.

It was all very different after the European elections, UKIP's 27.5% of the vote gave the party 23 MEPs. Labour was second with 25.4% and 18 MEPs and the Conservatives third with 23.94% and also 18 MEPs.

The Greens polled 7.87% with three MEPs, while the Liberal Democrats slumped to 6.87%, winning just one MEP. On that showing, it wasn't so much four-party politics as three, with UKIP replacing the Lib Dems as the third party.

But that was the European elections. Parliamentary by-elections are different and the general election different again. Making a breakthrough is harder, as UKIP has already found.

UKIP's task has been made harder by the fact that many of the 18 by-elections since the 2010 general election have been in fairly safe Labour seats. And while UKIP has come second in five, Labour has held them all comfortably, with one spectacular exception.

But in Bradford West, Labour's shock defeat wasn't at the hands of a flamboyant beer-drinking party leader, but an equally flamboyant teetotal firebrand, George Galloway, who stormed to victory by 10,000 votes.

UKIP came second in Barnsley Central, Middlesbrough, Rotherham, South Shields, and Wythenshaw & Sale East.

It came third in Corby and Croydon North, but fourth in Oldham East & Saddleworth, Leicester South, Feltham & Heston and Manchester Central and fifth in Bradford West and Cardiff South & Penarth.

By far UKIP's best result was in Eastleigh, where in the seat previously held by the disgraced Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, Mr Farage's party fell just 1,771 votes short of defeating the Lib Dems.

While UKIP's Diane James was a strong candidate, Mr Farage faced claims that if he had stood he might have won. Not so, he insisted.

In the most recent by-election, in Newark, a monumental Tory effort saw the Conservatives see off the UKIP threat with a comfortable majority of nearly 7,500.

Now the UKIP leader has opted to fight Thanet South, where the Tory majority is 7,617 and a one-term Tory MP, Laura Sandys, is standing down at the general election. Mr Farage is tipped to win. But how many seats will his party win in 2015?

That may depend on whether any more Conservative MPs follow Mr Carswell into the arms of UKIP. And that could depend on how well he does in his by-election next month. Another question: will Mr Carswell hold Clacton in the general election?

Provocatively, UKIP is holding its party conference at Doncaster racecourse, in Ed Miliband's constituency. Mr Farage claims his party takes votes off Labour and Conservatives in equal numbers.

But the evidence of the by-elections so far in this Parliament suggests UKIP will damage the Conservatives more in the general election, handing victory to Labour in some marginals and merely eating into Labour's majority in its safe seats.

The European elections may have given us four-party politics. But unless UKIP springs a surprise and wins more than a handful of seats at Westminster, we won't see four-party politics after the general election.

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Clooney Joined By A-Listers For Venice Wedding

By Tom Kington, for Sky News in Venice

George Clooney kicked off his four-day Venice wedding with a Hollywood entrance down the Grand Canal.

The 53-year-old actor waved from a speedboat named 'Amore' alongside his fiancee, British-Lebanese lawyer Amal Alamuddin, 36.

They motored to the luxury Cipriani hotel where fellow guests, including Matt Damon and model Cindy Crawford, gathered.

Tonight they will enjoy a sumptuous celebrity-studded party.

Vogue editor Anna Wintour also landed in Venice after reportedly advising Ms Alamuddin on her outfits this weekend.

Clooney will join guests Matt Damon and Cindy Crawford at the Cipriani

Fellow stars Bono and Brad Pitt are expected in Venice before the wedding guests congregate at the Aman hotel.

The Aman is a seven-star palace on the Grand Canal, decorated with frescoes by artist Tiepolo.

On Friday night, large paintings were delivered to the palace to add to the luxury antique furnishings before the party.

Ms Alamuddin was also spotted arriving by boat, backing up reports she would stay the night there before the party, leaving Clooney with other guests at the Cipriani.

Vogue editor Anna Wintour has advised Ms Alamuddin on her outfits

Clooney has stayed regularly at the Cipriani during his visits to the Venice film festival, previously bringing former girlfriends there.

Water taxi drivers at the hotel wore jackets with the letters A and G - for Amal and George - emblazoned on them.

There were fears for the party bash when the hotel's garden was seriously damaged by a freak hailstorm last week, but staff reportedly worked flat out replanting.

Over at the Aman hotel, a woman was seen repeatedly disembarking at the jetty in a wedding dress - rehearsing to see if Ms Alamuddin can do it without falling.

Ms Alamuddin and Clooney take a water taxi on the Grand Canal

Clooney's whirlwind romance and engagement to Ms Alamuddin follows years in which he denied he would marry.

In 2008, he claimed: "I am never at home and every woman gets sick of it. If I was them, I would never put up with me for long, and they don't."

On Sunday, Clooney and his guests are expected to visit Venice, before the couple formally tie the knot on Monday at a civil ceremony.

The ceremony will take place at a palazzo owned by the town hall, officiated by Walter Veltroni, a friend of Clooney's and the former mayor of Rome.

Local media reported that Clooney had booked tables under the name Mr and Mrs Smith at Venice's famous Harry's Bar, should his guests decide to drink there.

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Volcano Eruption Leaves 250 Hikers Stranded

At least 250 people, mostly hikers, are stranded on a mountain after a volcano erupted in Japan, with ash pouring down its slopes.

Smoke has been billowing into the air after the explosion on Mount Ontake, with windows in nearby lodges shattering from the impact.

Rock and ash is falling miles away from the volcano. Eight people are seriously injured, while seven hikers have been left unconscious.

A rescue effort is under way to help hikers stranded on Mount Ontake

Shuichi Mukai, who runs a nearby mountain lodge, said: "There was a thunder-like noise and the sky became dark because of the smoke."

Another local told NHK: "It was like thunder. I heard boom, boom … then everything went dark."

This is the first eruption on Mount Ontake in seven years, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dispatched troops to assist with the rescue effort.

The last eruption was in 2007, when several earthquakes were reported

"We are still trying to figure out details," he said. "I instructed to do all we can to rescue the people affected and secure the safety of the trekkers."

Although no deaths have been reported, the number of those injured is expected to rise.

"I escaped with my bare life," one survivor said. "Immediately after I watched the eruption, I rushed away but I was soon covered with ash, which piled up by some 20cm."

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Beheading Suspect's 'Odd' Behaviour In Mosque

A man accused of beheading a woman and stabbing another after he was fired from a food-processing plant "exhibited odd and bizarre behaviour" at a local mosque, according to a religious leader.

Imad Enchassi, senior imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, told local media that Alton Nolen's conduct had raised eyebrows among worshippers.

Nolen was fired from Vaughan Foods Pic: Facebook

He said the 30-year-old had improperly handled Islam's holy book, the Quran, slept on the prayer floor, and worshipped in an unconventional manner.

The imam said mosque members had been shocked by Thursday's attack at Vaughan Foods.

Mr Enchassi told the Oklahoman newspaper: "He's as far away from Islam as he could be."

A spokesman for the Islamic Council of Oklahoma said Muslims were "shocked, horrified and saddened" about what happened.

Factory boss Mark Vaughan is being hailed as a hero for shooting Nolen

Nolen went on an apparently random knife rampage after being fired, say Moore police, for reasons that remain unclear.

He allegedly beheaded Colleen Hufford, 54, and was stabbing Traci Johnson, 43, when warehouse boss Mark Vaughan shot him.

Nolen was "co-operative" when interviewed by detectives in hospital on Friday, police spokesman Jeremy Lewis told Sky News.

He said the suspect, who was in a stable condition, is expected to be transferred to jail "within the next few days".

Ms Johnson, meanwhile, remains in a stable condition in intensive care with "multiple" stab wounds.

Nolen had tried to convert workers to Islam, colleagues told investigators, though it is not clear if his beliefs had any link to the attack.

The FBI is investigating.

The suspect's Facebook page, where he used the name Jah'Keem Yisrael, is filled with bizarre rants in capital letters.

He posted an image of Batman villain the Joker, writing: "I upload this pik because America and Israel are wicked. Wake up Muslims!!!"

The scene outside the factory after the attack

Another comment ended: "Jihad Jihad Jihad!"

The Oklahoma county sheriff, meanwhile, said he was "extremely proud" of Mr Vaughan.

The reserve police officer reportedly used a rifle he kept in his office to shoot the attacker.

Nolen was incarcerated until March 2013 after his conviction two years earlier of drug offences, escape from detention and assaulting a police officer.

According to state corrections department records, he has several tattoos including "as-salaamu alaikum", Arabic for "peace be with you", on his abdomen, and "Jesus Christ" on his chest.

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Stand Up: UKIP's Youth Membership Leaps

By Jason Farrell, Senior Political Correspondent

There were many silver heads among the 2,000 strong Doncaster audience listening to UKIP leader Nigel Farage's speech.

But peppering the audience, there were also a number of young faces: perhaps 50 to 75 people in the under-30 age range.

Among them was 22-year-old Jack Duffin, chair of the Young Independence group and UKIP challenger to Boris Johnson to become MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

He told Sky News that UKIP was beginning to attract young voters on many levels: "Education policy, tax policy, our policy on grammar schools all appeal to young people."

He added: "Many are sick of the old parties. Also having a leader who is different and blunt is going down really well."

The Young Independence group has seen membership leap from 1,700 in March this year to 2,600 now.

Mr Duffin claims it is the fastest growing political youth movement in the UK, (although the Generation YES campaign in Scotland would probably beg to differ).

Speaking about Sky News' Stand Up Be Counted (SUBC) campaign, the party leader Nigel Farage admitted he still had "a long way to go" to attract young members and "a lot could be learned from Alex Salmond" and the tone of the Yes campaign.

Jack Duffin, Chair of the Young Independence group

He said: "I think the whole tone of the UKIP campaign is more positive. The youth wing of UKIP is up 50% on what it was last year. There are a lot more young faces at this conference than we've ever seen before."

Click here to visit the Stand Up Be Counted website

UKIP student societies have started up at the universities of Dundee, Bath and Chester.

The Chester branch is run by 20-year-old Dayle Taylor, who is also planning to stand as a candidate for UKIP in Blackburn.

He said: "For me originally, it was the whole question of should we be governed by a parliament in London or a parliament in Brussels, but UKIP is now about much more than that."

Others have more surprising reasons for joining the Party. Youth member Laura Howard said: "For me it's about animals and common fisheries policy.

"Because we are in the EU, it's not so bad now but deep sea trawlers could come into our seas and damage the environment. Also I don't agree with European transportation and the conditions in the European slaughter houses."

She added: "I'm pro-democracy - and I think the EU is anti-democratic."

Nineteen-year-old Brett Rickles told Sky News: "I think the most exciting policy announcement at the conference has been scrapping tax on the minimum wage, as well as the reduction or abolition of tuition fees for people taking science degrees."

A few years ago UKIP was a flourishing, angry anti-establishment party.

The kind of movement you might expect to attract the young.

But for some reason, perhaps the ultra-conservative image, its average age delegate was pushing on retirement.

As UKIP grows up, as well as attracting more Labour voters, it does seem to have a growing youth movement; but it is rising from a very low base.

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Iraq: British Jets Return From Combat Mission

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

British jets armed with missiles have returned from northern Iraq, following their maiden combat mission with authorisation to conduct airstrikes.

The two Tornado GR4 fighter jets - armed with missiles for the first time - took off from RAF Akrotiri at 8.30am this morning.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that no airstrikes were launched during the seven-hour mission.

"Although on this occasion no targets were identified as requiring immediate air attack by our aircraft, the intelligence gathered by the Tornados' highly sophisticated surveillance equipment will be invaluable," its spokesman added.

"We know that the very presence of coalition airpower over Iraq has a significant impact on IS's efforts to attack the Iraqi people.

"With no effective defence against airstrikes, and knowing the precision with which coalition aircraft can hit them, the terrorists are forced to be much more cautious, keeping their forces dispersed and movement inhibited."

A member of the aircrew prepares to depart on the first mission. Pic: MOD

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has confirmed that US forces have carried out airstrikes on seven targets in Syria, with missiles hitting an IS building and two armed vehicles. Three strikes were also conducted in the Iraqi city of Irbil.

The British pilots in Saturday's mission - one male, one female - were flying over Iraq according to the tasking given to them by US Central Command.

It is thought to have been a dynamic close air support mission, hitting targets if and when they reveal themselves.

The Tornados are being supported by a Voyager refuelling aircraft

Saturday's activity came after MPs overwhelmingly backed action in a vote in the House of Commons on Friday.

Parliament gave approval by 524 votes to 43 (a majority of 481) for Britain to join the US-led coalition in the Middle East.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said Britain is ready to play its part in dealing with IS.

He said: "We are one part of a large international coalition. But the crucial part of that coalition is that it is led by the Iraqi government, the legitimate government of Iraq, and its security forces.

"We are there to play our part and help deal with this appalling terrorist organisation."

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told Sky News that Britain would select targets "in accordance with the American and international effort that's going on in Iraq".

He added: "There's fighting around these towns - we have to fit in to the day-to-day fighting and see where we can help best."

An RAF pilot at the base on Saturday morning

Meanwhile, Iraq's deputy prime minister has said Islamic State "is not just the problem of Iraq. It is the problem of all countries".

The planes have been at RAF Akrotiri for the past six weeks carrying out surveillance missions over the Middle East.

The US has been carrying out airstrikes in northern Iraq since August and France joined the mission last week.

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UKIP Defection Timed For Maximum Damage

Conservative MP Mark Reckless Defects To UKIP

Updated: 5:49pm UK, Saturday 27 September 2014

The Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood, Mark Reckless, has announced he is defecting to UKIP.

The Tory backbencher made the announcement to rapturous applause from delegates at the UKIP party conference in Doncaster.

He said he would resign his seat in Parliament, triggering a by-election in which he intended to stand for the party. 

"We all know the problem of British politics. People feel disconnected from Westminster," he said.

"But disconnected is too mild a word. People feel ignored, taken for granted, overtaxed, over regulated, ripped off and lied to."

He said he promised voters in the last election that he could cut immigration, cut the deficit, decentralise power, have a more open and accountable politics and "above all to help get our country out of the European Union".

He said those were promises he could not keep as a Conservative, but could as a member of UKIP.

The surprise announcement, on the eve of the Conservative party conference, is the second Tory defection in recent weeks.

Clacton MP Douglas Carswell said he will contest his seat for UKIP in a by-election on October 9. 

Shortly after his speech Mr Reckless told Sky News he wanted a "straight in-out referendum" on Europe, which he does not think the Conservative Party will deliver.

He said the Prime Minister is offering a vote on EU membership on "rigged terms," based on a "bogus renegotiation followed by a loaded referendum".

"The more UKIP MPs there are, the better the chance of our getting a fair, straight referendum where we have the best possible chance of restoring our nation's independence," he said.

He would not be drawn on whether other Conservative MPs are planning to follow suit and defect.

Conservative sources have told Sky News they are surprised by the announcement given that, just a month ago, Mark Reckless said another defection would put an EU referendum at risk.

A Conservative spokesman said: "Mark Reckless' 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 (Labour leader) Ed Miliband."

Within the party, MPs have reacted with horror to the latest defection. 

Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford, said: "Nothing I can say right now would be becoming of a lady.

"I'm so angry. He looked me in eye and promised he wasn't go to defect."

But a gleeful Nigel Farage said he believed people "rather like the odd surprise".

"I'm delighted," the UKIP leader said. 

"We've got some significant political figures joining UKIP because they see us as being the agents for change."

Meanwhile Labour's Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Dugher MP, said the latest defection will come as a "hammer blow" to David Cameron.

"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.

"This also underlines that UKIP are a party of Tory people, Tory policies and Tory money.

"It is clearer than ever that only Labour has a plan to make everyday working people across the country better off."

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Britain's Role In Fight Against IS Explained

Codenamed Operation Shader, the British military action now under way sees UK warplanes swap their surveillance role in Iraq for combat missions.

There are six Tornado GR4s based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, and on missions they will be armed with Paveway and Brimstone missiles capable of hitting moving targets.

Having carried out reconnaissance missions over Iraq for the last six weeks, the pilots know the terrain well.

The combat operation is directed out of Qatar from the Al Udeid airbase - shared by both the British and US.

The man heading the RAF mission is Air commodore Al Gillespie, but it is the US directing the growing coalition air operation in Iraq, which also includes Australia, Denmark, and France.

Former RAF navigator John Nichol, who flew in the 1991 Gulf War, told Sky News: "The Americans will be telling each different nation what the target list is, where to patrol, what sort of weapons might be needed, and then they will be launched into the air."

While the Tornado aircraft is 40 years old, Mr Nichol said: "It's been hugely updated. The big updates are the weapons systems.

"When I was flying it was very much what I would call 'dumb bombs'. The weapons that this GR4 deploys are all precision-guided, very, very accurate munitions."

The planes take around two hours to reach northern Iraq from Cyprus

While the planes are capable of flying quicker than the speed of sound, on patrol the planes would travel at around 300-400mph to conserve fuel.

The Tornados fly in pairs and take around two hours to reach northern Iraq from Cyprus.

The two-man crews can be on board for up to eight hours in the cramped cockpits.

The on-board technology allows them to operate at low level, day or night and in poor weather.

During the recent reconnaissance missions the jets often refuelled in mid-air by connecting to fuel lines from an RAF Voyager plane - like "trying to refuel your car on the motorway at night, at 600mph, when the petrol station is doing 600mph", according to Mr Nichol.

The Tornado planes will be armed with precision-guided weapons

The crews are highly skilled and normally very experienced, who have flown many times over Iraq in previous deployments.

Mr Nichol said: "These are young men and women. They are trained to do a job. They want to do the job.

"I compare it to a firefighter. You never want to see anyone's house burning down but its your job to put those flames out and that's what they are getting a chance to do.

"Some of them are battle-hardened veterans, but you have the younger members there as well.

"There's an excitement about what you are going to go and do but a reality and a knowledge of what the cost could be as well."

In the absence of IS command and control centres, he believed  the air crews would be looking at the ground in "real time" for targets.

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Plans For RAF Airstrikes Now At Full Pace

By Tom Parmenter, RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus

The send off for the RAF Tornado jets finished with a simple thumbs up from the ground crew waving them off.

The planning and preparation for British airstrikes is now at full pace at RAF Akrotiri and everyone on the base on Cyprus knows their mission has now escalated.

On Saturday morning the Tornado crews strode out across the tarmac, two teams of two, helmets on.

They knew the cameras were there to capture the moment that debate and politics gave way to military action. The deployment of British bombs in Iraq is now in their hands.

Now that this is a combat mission their identities are protected, all we know is that they are some of the RAF's most skilled and experienced individuals.

Their families will know that their loved ones are now going to war rather than simply flying reconnaissance missions over Iraq.

The intelligence gathering will continue apace on these sorties and there may be flights in the coming days and weeks where they don't need to deploy missiles.

Military planners call the mission "dynamic" - it means that the plans will change according to what's happening on the ground.

The professionalism of everyone who works to support these missions means they want to respond to the orders efficiently and carry out their job as precisely as possible.

Every time they leave this base the ground crews will wave them off, every time they return they'll be relieved to welcome them back.

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Conservative Minister Brooks Newmark Resigns

Brooks Newmark, Conservative MP for Braintree, has stepped down as Minister for Civil Society.

His resignation comes ahead of a story due to be published in tomorrow's Sunday Mirror concerning his private life. 

Sky's Political Correspondent Anushka Asthana says the details of the story have not been made public, but it is believed to involve social media.

Mr Newmark said: "I would like to appeal for the privacy of my family to be respected at this time.

"I remain a loyal supporter of this Government as its long-term economic plan continues to deliver for the British people."

Number 10 has issued a statement confirming the Prime Minister has accepted Mr Newmark's resignation.

The announcement comes as another blow to the Conservative Party which is still reeling from news that its MP for Rochester and Strood, Mark Reckless, has defected to UKIP.

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