He does this because the prime minister's advisers had "made it clear that they're looking to cut a deal [on EU reform] that gives them just enough to persuade enough voters to vote to stay in". He says: "Once I realised that, my position in the Conservative Party became untenable". 

And this a man who seriously wants the voters of Clacton to believe he's bright enough to represent them as their MP? Is this really the same man who in January of this year said, "Let's not bull with the British people" ....

At Bloomberg a year ago, David Cameron made a radical promise. He would seek to renegotiate the terms of our membership, and then hold an In / Out vote. Nothing we do must make the prospect of an In / Out vote less likely.

Having spent all my adult life campaigning to get Britain out of the EU, perhaps we Outters (sic) need to grow up if we are to achieve our goal. The whole point of Bloomberg is that we can now win. The restoration of British independence, the repudiation of the Treaty of Rome, is a realistic option. But we need a little discipline to make it happen.

However, having decided to make the prospect of an "in-out" vote less likely, if and when Carswell does actually resign as an MP (he hasn't actually done so yet), the Conservatives could cook his goose by refusing to move a writ, instead waiting until the general election. Then, it is a moot point as to whether he would win back the seat.

FORUM THREAD