Tory Lord Alexander Hesketh joins Ukip over Europe row

A former Tory treasurer defected to the UK Independence Party last night in protest over David Cameron's stance on the European Union.

Lord Alexander Hesketh held a number of ministerial posts under Baroness Thatcher and John Major. He will act as a fund-raiser and campaigner for UKIP.

"I have been a Tory all my adult life but the recent decision by the Prime Minister to rule out a referendum on EU membership has angered me," he said.

The peer, 60, made his name running the Hesketh Formula One team in the 1970s.