Roger Helmer, who has been critical of David Cameron over European issues, will address Ukip conference on Saturday
A eurosceptic Conservative MEP has joined the United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip) and will address its Spring conference on Saturday, according to a UKIP spokesman
Roger Helmer, who has been sharply critical of David Cameron for failing to fall into line with eurospectic calls for a repatriation of powers from Brussels, had last autumn announced his intention to step down as an MEP.
News of his defection caused little surprise in political circles, with some observers speculation that the Tory leader would be glad to see the back of Helmer, who was known for holding controversial views.
Although he had been expected to hand over his seat to fellow Eurosceptic Rupert Matthews, it was unclear if Helmer had decided to stay on as an MEP.
A climate sceptic, he launched a poster campaign in 2010 to promote his opposition to climate change policies which he described as "Probably unnecessary, Certainly ineffectual, Ruinously expensive."
Last year, he reignited a controversy about degrees of severity in rape when he suggested that some rape victims shared responsibility for the crime. Helmer was also condemned by campaigners after he used twitter to suggest homosexuality could be treated as a mental health problem.
A Ukip spokesperson confirmed that Helmer had joined the party and would be addressing its Spring conference in Skegness on Saturday. The spokesman claimed that recent defection by a leading member of Conservative Future and by a trade unionist suggested that Ukip was picking up support from the right and the left.
"It's not just Tories who are coming over to us because you just have to look at the news to see that what we were predicting several years ago is now happening in Europe," he added.
Eurosceptic Tory MPs continued to bang the drum for their cause in recent days ahead of Cameron's attendance alongside other European leaders in Brussels, where the UK and the Czech Republic were the only two of the 27 EU states that did not sign a new treaty to enforce budget discipline within the bloc.
In parliamentary debate secured by Conservative MP Bill Cash, who is chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, backbenchers questioned whether the fiscal treaty was legal.