Tory MP Bill Cash's son is latest Ukip recruit

Mr Cash, who lives at Upton Cressett Hall near Bridgnorth, has been named the party's heritage spokesman and said he could stand for a seat at Parliament outside the county.

His father Sir Bill Cash, MP for Stone in Staffordshire, last night said he was disassociating himself from his son's decision.

William Cash said he had been fighting a "civil war" for three years against planning policies that were damaging Shropshire, its tourism and its heritage, and added David Cameron's decision to sack North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson as Environment Secretary during the summer had been one of the factors behind his decision.

He said his decision had nothing to do with his father, for whom he had complete respect and admiration.

While Ukip said William Cash would be standing for a parliamentary seat in Warwickshire, Mr Cash, speaking from his home, said it was too early to confirm that.

He said: "What I can categorically state is that I will not stand for a seat in Shropshire. I very much respect MPs Philip Dunne and Owen Paterson. In fact Owen's sacking as Environment Minister was one of the reasons that I have decided to join Ukip."

He said local MPs' hands were tied by coalition policy such as introducing generous tariffs on solar parks, and introducing VAT on listed buildings repairs which he said had devastated the artisans and local builders who he used to help restore his Grade I-listed home.

"I am not alone in becoming sick of the state of civil war that exists in the Shropshire countryside as each day sees yet another planning application that threatens to destroy the countryside that Shropshire Council states in its core plan is the county's 'greatest asset'," he said.

"The latest attack on the heritage of Upton Cressett – three Grade I-listed buildings open to the public near Bridgnorth and winner of the Best Hidden Gem in the UK as a heritage tourist destination – is an application for a 50 acre solar park. So – after turbines and an industrial pig farm all 500 yards or so from this protected heritage site – another battle looms.

"Why are developers choosing unspoilt countryside around important tourist areas and market towns? Locals are quite rightly very angry. The also feel let down that the Government is failing to curb such vandalism on our precious countryside."

Mr Cash's father, Sir Bill, told The Telegraph: "He has never taken any interest in politics or what I have been doing in the past 30 years.

"I have no idea why. I know he has got a thing about the heritage, whatever that is supposed to mean."

"It is completely absurd to imagine that Ukip can change anything. I completely disassociate myself from his actions."

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