UKIP’s only Member of Parliament Douglas Carswell has refused to either confirm or deny that he signed up to the Labour Party’s affiliate member scheme in order to vote for Jeremy Corbyn to be the party’s new leader. Mr Carswell was quizzed on the matter after a Labour staffer alleged that he had seen Mr Carswell’s name on the database of the £3 members.
Mr Carswell told the Telegraph newspaper that he thought it was “wonderful” that “comrade Corbyn” was doing so well in the Labour leadership contest, and said that he was keen to cause mischief if others were doing the same in his direction.
While the Labour Party has tried its hardest, it has been unable to catch a number of fake Labour supporters who signed up to the party to attempt to influence the leadership election process, which ends in just over a week.
Mr Carswell issued a statement: “I think it’s wonderful that comrade Corbyn is doing as well as he seems to be doing. Onwards and upwards to the comrades.”
“I neither confirm nor deny that I am supporting Jeremy Corbyn as an affiliated member of the Labour Party. If people want to have mischievous conversations, I’m going to add to the mischief.”
Mr Carswell’s mischief making comes shortly after UKIP leader Nigel Farage wrote for Breitbart London about how Mr Corbyn was under the same sort of establishment attacks as he has faced over the past few years.
In August Mr Farage wrote: “Anti-Corbyn Labour rhetoric has now hit levels of hysteria. All of the great and the good are saying what a catastrophe Mr. Corbyn may be. It reminds me of my own press in the run up to the European Elections.”
He did however, like Mr Carswell say he hoped that Mr Corbyn would win: “Under Corbyn, there will be a debate about TTIP, about the way Greece has been treated, and about the role of national parliaments and democracy. I have no idea which side of the fence Mr. Corbyn himself will come down on, but I feel the Left is finally waking up to what a corporatist, big business club the EU really is. I have to say I hope he wins. The best news of all? A Corbyn win will be the death of the Green Party. Hooray.”
Mr Carswell joined UKIP just over a year ago.
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