A POLITICIAN who has been a Conservative and an independent councillor now wants to stand for UKIP in the Euro elections.

Ian Morrell, who previously held aspirations of being a Tory MP, has become disillusioned with the party, locally and nationally.

As a Taunton Deane Council member, he was once expelled from the Conservative group for repeatedly criticising leader Cllr John Williams, before being reinstated.

More recently, Mr Morrell, 35, who attended a UKIP lunch when Neil and Christine Hamilton were guests, resigned after failing to patch up his differences with Mr Williams.

Mr Morrell said: “I’ve been unhappy with the Conservatives locally and nationally for a period of time.

“I never voted for David Cameron to be leader and a lot of people are unhappy with him and his lack of delivery and the loss of a lot of core Conservative values.”

He added: “I’m going through the process of trying to be chosen as a UKIP candidate for the South-West in the Euro elections next May.

“I am still an independent councillor on Taunton Deane and will remain so – it would be disingenuous to migrate to another party without the support of the electorate.

“People voted for me on a particular ticket and I don’t believe in swapping and changing.”

He has already been interviewed as part of a “thorough and comprehensive process” of being chosen to fight for one of the seven Euro seats in the South-West constituency, which also takes in Gibraltar.