The Conservative candidate in Hove, Mike Weatherley, has received a big boost today by the defection of his UKIP opponent, Mike Mendoza (pictured), to the Conservative Party.
Mendoza - who has hosted shows on a number of talk radio stations over the years - is in fact a former Conservative councillor in Brighton and Hove. However, he left the party a few years ago and has since stood for UKIP as a candidate for West Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove Council, and was set to stand in Hove at the general election.
He explained his decision thus:
"After talking to both Mike Weatherley and Tim Loughton [MP for Worthing East and Shoreham where he lives], I realised that they both had the same ideals as me and it would be ridiculous for me to stand against either of them. We have to work together as hard as possible to rid ourselves of this discredited Labour Government.
"I am also totally disillusioned with the way UKIP has developed over the past year and I am very disappointed with the choice of new leader. Nigel Farage will be a very difficult act to follow and without him at the helm UKIP will inevitably lose a lot of credibility.
"I am now going to rejoin the Conservative Party, where I believe I can make suggestions and those suggestions will be listened to. It is far better to be within the Conservative Party trying to make a real difference and only the Conservatives offer any realistic prospect of rowing back from the unashamed federalist European agenda with which this Labour Government have been complicit and which the vast majority of people in Britain do not want.
"I was very impressed with Tim Loughton’s views and will support him in every way I can for the future as my MP. I have always considered Tim a very hard working MP and would not want to do anything to stop him carrying on the great work he has started and achieved so far. Mike Weatherley also has my full support and I have every confidence that he will make a first class MP for Hove."
Mike Weatherley welcomed his opponent's decision:
"Mike is both a friend and an honourable gentleman and I am pleased he has seen the light. We share many similar conservative principles so I am delighted he has rejoined the Conservative Party."
These sentiments were echoed by Tim Loughton MP:
"I am delighted that Mike has decided to come home to the Conservative party. He has always been a Conservative at heart and has a distinguished record for having fought for Conservative values and has campaigned within the party on behalf of constituents in Adur and in Brighton and Hove over many years. I share Mike’s concerns about the challenges facing us from Europe and he appreciates that the only realistic way of reversing the European federalist juggernaut is through a Conservative victory at the next election and our team has been greatly strengthened by him becoming an active member of it."
Below is Mike Weatherley's latest campaign video: