EU parliament group hit by shock MEP defection

Parliament’s UK Liberal group has been left reeling from the loss of one of its MEPs after he defected to the Conservative party.

Sajjad Karim, elected in 2004, said that he felt he could better serve his constituents as a Tory, saying he had been considering the move for over two years.

But his decision has incensed party members, some of whom have accused him of ‘betrayal’.

They point out that he announced his decision days after he was beaten in the race to be his party’s number one candidate for the North West region of England for the 2009 European elections.

He came second to fellow MEP Chris Davies, who polled about 63 per cent of the vote, substantially more than 37-year-old Karim.

As a result of the influx of Bulgarian and Romanian MEPs, the number of UK deputies will fall in 2009, with the North West losing one of its MEPs.

Critics claim this is what prompted Karim to defect to the Tories.

His decision means the UK Liberal group of MEPs now numbers 11.

Andrew Duff, UK Liberal group leader in parliament, said, “I am sorry that Sajjad Karim has seen fit to become a Tory. I must say that I had not had him down as a eurosceptic.”

A party insider said, “Everyone is very disappointed at his actions, not least for its timing. Days after heavily losing an election process to Chris Davies, he decides to defect to a party with whom he has had no previous noticeable allegiance.

“We all looked on him as being pro-European so it will be interesting to see how he can defend a decision to join a party of eurosceptics.”

Karim, a lawyer, who has two children, reportedly said that the Tories had made huge progress under David Cameron.

“Two years ago, Cameron described himself as a Liberal Conservative and that’s very much how I see myself.

“But I needed to be convinced that he could change his party and now I am.  Cameron’s recent speech on immigration was incredibly impressive – sensible, rational and positive.

“It persuaded me that he is a leader who has changed his party and will change the country. I am afraid the Liberal Democrats have lost their way and are no longer a serious force in politics.”

It is believed the Tories may offer Karim a seat in the North West where David Sumberg, one of its deputies in the region, will not seek re-election.

Meanwhile, parliament’s ALDE group, the assembly’s third largest grouping to which the Liberals are affiliated, has denied that one of its French members has defected.

It comes after Jean-Marie Cavada, chair of parliament’s civil liberties committee, told Le Figaro that he is to stand as a candidate in next spring’s local French elections, hopefully with the support of the centre-right UMP party.

In an interview with the paper, Cavada, a former TV journalist, says he believes French president Nicolas Sarkozy has the right policies to cement France’s place in Europe but denies that Sarkozy had promised him a place in the French government if he switched sides.

After Karim’s defection, the ALDE group now has 103 MEPs.

A spokesman said, “It is important to stress that Cavada is not leaving ALDE but merely seeking the support of the UMP party as a local election candidate, probably in one of the Paris suburbs next spring.

"This is purely a tactical move, no more than that."

However Karim's defection was welcomed by the parliament’s UK Conservative leader Timothy Kirkhope.

"I am very pleased that the Conservative party is attracting parliamentarians of the calibre of Sajjad Karim. He boosts the Conservative cause in the European parliament where we are the biggest UK political party,” said Kirkhope.

"By joining us Sajjad demonstrates that we are liberal conservatives - an inclusive, reform-minded party. He is now supporting what I believe is the right UK policy for the EU.

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