SIR – I read with interest the story about Conservative councillor Michael McCabe defecting to UKIP (T&A, January 29).

With interest, because it was only last week that Mike Hookem, a Yorkshire UKIP MEP, said the following, after the defection in the opposite direction of Amjad Bashir: “The news of his defection came as a shock to me but, judging by what has come out about him since, I would say the Conservatives are welcome to him. When people voted for UKIP last year in the European elections, they voted for the party, not for Jane (Collins) , Amjad or myself as individuals.”

Seeing as Mr Hookem is keen to get defectors to resign on the grounds that people voted for the party, not the person, I fully expect him and other UKIP members to call for the resignation of Mr McCabe forthwith.

Anything else, and UKIP would be open to allegations of rank hypocrisy.

Peter Finan, Ashmount Mews, Haworth