Polly Toynbee drives Tory to join UKIP

Toby Horton, former constituency chair in William Hague’s Richmond constituency, has joined UKIP: “There was a Polly Toynbee moment – that was the tipping point”.

As the BBC reports:

Toby Horton said his “tipping point” had been a recent suggestion that the modernised party should look to Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee.

Mr Hague’s former constituency chairman said: “I didn’t leave the Conservative party; the Conservative Party left me.”

UKIP has emailed 17,000 UK councillors, urging them to join and is encouraging MPs from other parties to defect.

A spokesman for the Conservatives insisted the party was not “giving up” its core values, following the Toynbee comments.