Top Conservative academic set to support UKIP

1.50.01pm GMT Thu 11th Jan 2007

Professor Congdon, a leading Thatcherite economist has said he will vote UKIP if Cameron is Leader of the Conservatives at the next General Election. Even Iain Dale the most important Conservative blogger has accepted this is a big blow (he dismissed the two Peers earlier in the week as not important news).

Congdon wrote in the Telegraph this morning that "The election of David Cameron to the leadership therefore came as a shock to me. No doubt many of those who voted for him have been surprised by what he has done in the past 15 months. But - to give him his due - Mr Cameron is industrious and prolific, at least in the sense of producing large numbers of words. In early October 2005, he wrote a number of articles that spelt out what kind of beliefs he held."

He then goes on to highlight an article in The Spectator that was enough for him - he says the article "Time for a completely new party" contained several hundred words of flannel ("the need for fundamental change", "the problem is our culture", etc.) and one possibly substantive proposal. This was an "exciting new policy direction", with his "proposal for a national school-leaver programme - involving schools, businesses, community organisations, charities and the Armed Forces - to prepare young people for their adult responsibilities and to create a greater sense of national cohesion".

He concludes his article by saying "If Mr Cameron is still Conservative leader at the next general election, I will definitely vote for UKIP."