Sources have told Breitbart London that a number of Conservative councillors that have worked closely with Douglas Carswell in his Clacton constituency will follow his lead and defect to the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP).

Carswell, who has represented the Essex constituency since 2010 has built a strong following with his often outspoken views on the direction of travel of British democracy and the European Union. This is especially pronounced in Clacton, which has bucked the trend of Conservative party membership decline nationwide. When Carswell contested the seat in 2010, he took an impressive 53 percent of the popular vote.

When Carswell was asked by Sky News after the UKIP press conference whether he had ‘betrayed’ the members of his local association who had campaigned for him, he expressed he would never take his constituents for granted and would seek to retain their support.Speaking exclusively to Breitbart London, a source at the Clacton Conservative Club said “the town votes for Douglas Carswell rather than the Conservatives, he is really very popular in the town”.

This may indicate Carswell’s decision to seek a mandate from his constituency where he holds a majority of 12,000 will return UKIP’s first elected MP.If Carswell is followed by his former allies on the local councils in and around Clacton, this could signify the beginning of a broader national move by disgruntled Conservatives who are presently in elected office towards UKIP, which outside the European Parliament has until now been more of an insurgent than governmental position.

Breitbart London understands that Carswell’s defection was planned out by UKIP Press Officer Gawain Towler, and meetings on the issue were had during the European election period.