Councillor Denis Allen of Telford and Wrekin Council has defected to UKIP claiming his decision is prompted by the appointment of Ken Clarke as Shadow Business Secretary. Allen says it was the "last straw." Technically I suppose it’s not really a defection from the Conservatives as Cllr Allen had already resigned the whip last month offering a different explanation more relevant to local matters, perhaps most pertinently the "failure to reinstate" him to the Council’s cabinet. He was also quoted saying he would "gladly take the whip once more" if the leadership of the Conservative Group changed.