Local Tories in Disarray

1.59.26pm GMT Tue 8th Mar 2005

Commenting on the decision by Councillor Orchard to leave the Conservative Party and stand as a UKIP candidate in Twickenham, Vincent Cable, MP for Twickenham said: "Doug Orchard's decision will make the election in Twickenham a good deal more interesting. On a personal level I saw a lot of him when he was mayor, liked him and respected the work he did, particularly helping teenagers through the local youth club."

"There are a lot of Twickenham Conservatives who will prefer to support an outspoken popular local figure as against the official candidate. Michael Howard has made a mistake stirring up feelings on issues like immigration since nationalist parties, like UKIP, are much clearer and more honest about where they really stand. I am baffled, for example, as to how the Conservatives propose to introduce tougher immigration control while halving the budget of the immigration department, as they propose".