Ukip loses last council majority after defection
1 min read
The last Ukip-majority council in the UK has gone to no overall control, after a defection to the Conservatives.
Ukip now holds 27 of 55 seats on Thanet District Council after Beverly Martin joined the Conservative group.
Ukip is now outnumbered by the 21 Tories, five Labour and two independents that comprise the rest of the council.
It is the latest blow for the eurosceptic party, which followed up a dismal local elections performance in May – when it won just one council seat – by seeing its vote share in the general election slashed to below 2%.
It is also going through its fourth leadership campaign in just over a year, after Paul Nuttall quit in light of the general election losses.
Ms Martin said she had decided she could “better serve the residents of Thanet” from the Conservatives.
Chris Wells, the Ukip leader on the council, said Ms Martin had “contributed little” since she rejoined the party after a spell as an independent.
“Yo Yo Councillor Yo's again,” he surmised.
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