MANY voters plan to stick with Clacton MP Douglas Carswell despite his move to the UK Independence Party.

The long-standing Conservative MP announced that he was defecting to UKIP at a press conference today.

But while the move may cost him some Conservative votes, a lot of constituents are planning to stick with him.

Don Pain, 75, of Clacton said: “I like Carswell and I think he’s a good MP. He’s got a lot of supporters around here.

“He seems to say what he thinks all the time and I like someone who isn’t afraid to take on the establishment and fight for what he believes in if he has to.

“We’ve seen that a lot, he has often had disagreements with the Conservatives even though he was a member.

“I would absolutely still support him. I vote with whoever I think is in the best interests of the area and based on what he has always done I think that will still be Douglas Carswell.”

Kay Lawlor, 67, of Holland-on-Sea: “I’ve always thought he’s really good. I respect someone who gets their hands dirty and I’ve seen him on Clacton beach with his sleeves rolled up picking up litter.

“I’ve definitely seen enough of him to follow him and vote for him still, no matter what party he’s in. He’s done a lot for the town.”

For more views from the Clacton public on Mr Carswell’s UKIP move, pick up a copy of next week’s Clacton Gazette from Thursday September 4.