Editorial: From Westminster to Brussels, via reality TV

Both Christine Hamilton and her husband are being lined up to stand for Ukip

Writing on her own website, Christine Hamilton, wife of the disgraced former Tory MP Neil Hamilton, once spoke of her relief at leaving the dull world of Westminster behind her for the pleasures of starring on shows like Celebrity Masterchef.

She – and Neil too, presumably – were “thrilled to have left the artificial world of boring old politics for the madcap fun world of the media and entertainment,” she wrote.

Not thrilled for all that long it appears, because, as we report today, both Hamiltons could be in line to stand for Ukip in the 2014 European elections, with Neil topping the party list, virtually guaranteeing him a seat.

There is no stopping the Hamiltons who, like the monarchy, go on and on. Whether the presence of either of them in Brussels will do much to support Nigel Farage's claim that Ukip is now "a serious force in politics" is debatable.