Ukip councillors in Great Yarmouth defect to hand council control to the Tories
2 min read
Seven Ukip councillors have defected to the Conservatives, handing the party control of the council in the coastal town of Great Yarmouth.
It means the Conservatives now hold 21 of the 39 seats on the borough council, giving them overall control.
The defectors included former parliamentary candidate Alan Grey and his wife Kay, who was the leader of the Ukip group.
Ms Grey said that following the EU referendum many voters feel it is "job done" for the party.
But Ukip's East of England MEP Stuart Agnew described the news as "disloyal, depressing and disgusting" and said the Tories would allow an "unsatisfactory" Brexit.
The move shows the decline in Ukip's fortunes in an area once described by party figures as the "jewel in the crown" for the eurosceptic movement.
The eurosceptics have endured a torrid time since the referendum, with four different leaders in the space of just over a year and a massive slump in vote share at the general election.
They recorded just shy of 600,000 votes in June's general election, compared to almost 4 million at the 2015 election.
Local MP Brandon Lewis said he was "delighted" to welcome the new councillors into the Conservative fold.
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