Converts for anti-EU party

The anti-European UK Independence Party claimed last night to have won another defector from Sir James Goldsmith's Referendum Party, as well as one from the Liberal Democrats.

In a statement, the UKIP said Rodney Saunders, one of Sir James's prospective parliamentary candidates, had quit because he thought a mere referendum was "a total waste". Instead, he will stand for the UKIP in Hertsmere. The party also said former Liberal Democrat Rodney Westbury would be standing for them in Wiltshire. The UKIP believes in withdrawal from the EU and negotiation of a free-trade agreement.