The defection to Ukip of a bunch of ward-level Westminster Tories might not be front page news but is it part of a bigger story? It has surely taken a little shine off the party's retention of Simon Milton's former Council seat with only a small adverse swing. More significantly, it might indicate something more than a pocket of grassroots discontent over the party's attitude to Europe.
There ought to be a deep, unifying optimism among activists in the newly-recreated Westminster North parliamentary constituency, given that boundary changes have made Labour incumbent Karen Buck look vulnerable. Could it be that A list candidate Joanne Cash, a barrister with Policy Exchange connections, is not to all locals' taste, notwithstanding her Eurosceptic views? Or is that just Labour folk trying to scare up a little grief?
