In a letter of resignation to the the East Midlands Conservatives regional Chairman Stephen Mold, Helmer wrote:

Dear Stephen,

Resignation from the European Parliament

It was a great pleasure to see you at the Party Conference in Manchester last week.

I am writing to you now to advise you that I shall be resigning my seat in the European parliament effective December 31st this year.

As with any major decision, this is driven by a number of factors. Some might say that it is high time I stood aside for a younger man. For myself, I think that twelve-and-a-half years banging my head against the same brick wall in Brussels is perhaps long enough. And I should certainly like to see more of my three fine grandsons.

But it would be disingenuous to deny that my decision is dictated in part by my increasing disillusion with the attitudes of the Conservative Party. I am finding it ever more difficult to defend the policies of the Coalition, not only on my key issues of Europe, and of climate and energy, but on a range of other matters besides.

I will have more to say about this in coming days…

Helmer not joining UKIP suggests that he is fed up with the whole EU structure more than just the Tories losing their way…

UPDATE: Helmer’s place will be taken by Rupert Matthews, who was second on the list in 2009. Guido would be surprised if Helmer was the only Tory MEP not to make it to the next election…

No surprise that this one was cheered by some activists as it drove around the conference zone…

UKIP has a rule that they do not go on the many copious junkets that are on offer to MEPs. Alarm bells started to ring on May 16, when David Campbell Bannerman went on a trip to Taiwan, telling his party staff it was on private business. But a photo has popped up showing what he was really up to, as a guest of the Taiwanese Government, paid for by the “European Parliament Friends of Taiwan Group”:

Campbell Bannerman lined up with Tory MEPs Geoffrey van-Orden, Martin Callanan, Charles Tannock and Roger Helmer to meet the President. As the rice wine flowed, words of encouragement were dripped into the former Bow Group chairman’s ear. By the end of the trip, DCB was won over, and he went straight to CCHQ for a photo-op as soon as he touched down back in London :

Though there is very little love lost from seasoned Ukippers, there are mutters about Campbell Bannerman’s word and reputation forever being dirt. All their MEP candidates had to sign up to a code of conduct. Clause 7 has particularly grated them:

“Our MEPs will be expected to… remain as members of UKIP for the full 5-year term or otherwise retire from the Parliament.”

There is also a pending employment tribunal that is with the lawyers. Guido understands DCB kept that one quiet with his new friends…

Apparently David Campbell Bannerman has:

“…been a proud member of the Conservative Party in the past and I am proud to come home to the Conservatives today… I’ve been pleased with the robust stance taken by David Cameron and Conservative MEPs over the EU budget negotiations and I believe that it is Conservative MEPs who are working hard to defend Britain’s interests”

Which is odd given Cameron has done very little to stand up to Europe. Equally meek William Hague welcomed him with open arms:

“I am very pleased that we can welcome David Campbell Bannerman back to the Conservative Party.  The Conservative Party is bringing in people who want to work in the national interest to sort out Britain’s problems. I am sure David Campbell Bannerman will be a valuable member of our team in the European Parliament.”

A UKIP insider said “our problem is now their problem”.

UPDATE: A good spot by Total Politics. This is what David Campbell Bannerman had to say last year:

“Cameron has spent the last five years ditching Conservative policies on Europe… It’s overwhelmingly clear now that trusting Cameron with Europe will be as misguided as trusting Blair on Iraq.”

Ouch.

Apparently the UKIP MEP, and sore leadership lose, is about to jump ship back to the Tories. ConHome have got wind of the same rumour.

UKIP sources weren’t exactly signing his praises yesterday afternoon, and he’s not answering his mobile….

UPDATE: DCB said he wouldn’t work under Farage at the UKIP leadership hustings. Apparently there was talk of booting him down the candidates list at the next European elections.

UPDATE II: Talk of DCB is holding a press conference in an hour…

UKIP have come up with a novel way of appealing to the voters of Bangor. Northern Irish model, Laura Lacole has lent her assets to their North Down candidate in the Assembly elections, Dr Fred McGlade, and UKIP Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall MEP:

Guido expects a strong swing. 

Yesterday’s Yes2AV launch was conspicuously Clegg-less, but he wasn’t the only leader missing. Despite probably being the campaigns most useful asset in getting through to real people outside of the beltway, Guido hears that Nigel Farage and UKIP are a little miffed that they were left out in the cold. It was alll smiles with Caroline Lucas from the Greens, so it’s not as if smaller parties were a ruled out.  A Yes campaign source said the decision didn’t come from them and it was Miliband’s office that refused to share a platform. Guido has put it to them, but no answer as of yet…

Dan Jarvis is heading to Westminster as Labour’s second MP to have served in the army.  His new job was guaranteed from the moment he was selected, but the race behind him has left some stunned faces this morning. The total meltdown of the LibDems in May is well on course with Clegg left in a humiliating 6th place behind an indy and the BNP. And down £500.

UKIP sources were pleasantly surprised when Guido spoke to them last night, but there is no denying in the light of day that coming second is a major moment for them. Many a Tory Chihuahua – Conservatives In their Heads, Ukip At Heart, will be heartened by this result, they were hardly expected to get excited by the utterly uninspiring Tory candidate. It’s fascinating to see the Labour Eurosceptic vote is growing too. According to pollsters Survation, who predicted the LibDem collapse and UKIP rise, 29% of UKIPs growth came from Labour voters switching:

Issues like votes for prisoners seem to be playing well for UKIP, driving new recruits to their cause. More decrees from Europe must be highlighted and pushed. It’s clearly playing well.

While it is embarrassing for a sitting PM to be beaten by a minor party, made up of many voters he feels should be supporting him, there will be cheers from the blues lower down the ladder with this result.

Godfrey Bloom has been thrown out of a session of the European Parliament for shouting“Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer” (One People, One Empire, One Leader) as German Social Democrat MEP Martin Schultz was making a speech. Video to follow…

Bloom refused to apologise and went on to call the leader of the socialist group in the parliament an “undemocratic fascist” to the waiting the press pack.

Rule one. Don’t mention zee war.

UPDATE: UKIP just press released this:

“Schulz is an unrepentant Euro nationalist and a socialist. He wants one currency, one EU state, one EU people. Already the Euro nationalists have one currency, one flag, one anthem, a foreign service and are creating a home office for Justice. They are creating here one Parliament with one executive and one EU citizenry. The EU Commission have already taken control of the economies of Ireland and Greece, no doubt others to follow. These Euro Nationalists are a danger to democracy. These people are fanatics. People have got to wake up to this fact. My father as a Spitfire pilot fought for freedom against Nazi domination of Europe. As an MEP I will fight against the destruction of democracy across Europe.”

Shock…