Shropshire Star

All a twitter as Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard is snapped with Nigel Farage by Labour pal

They're all smiles – but Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard has denied this picture taken with Ukip leader Nigel Farage means he will be the next high-profile figure to cross the floor.

Published

Midlands Labour MP Tom Watson snapped the pair as they left the launch of Lord Ashcroft's Special Ops Heroes book, which has a foreword written by former SAS soldier Andy McNab.

Watson put the picture on Twitter with the words "Well, well, well.....".

It was retweeted more than 100 times.

Mr Pritchard vowed earlier this year he would never join Ukip, despite being the bookies favourite for some time to be the latest to defect from the Conservatives.

And on the picture, he said today: "We had just finished talking with McNab and then decided to leave the function together.

"Nigel and I have been friends for years. We agree on some things but disagree on many others.

"Ukip cannot deliver on an EU referendum, only the Conservatives can do that. Tom and I are also friends, although we disagree on many policy areas. He took the photo."

"It's just a friendly photo, not a sign of any political allegiance."

The picture come ahead of the Rochester by-election today, where Conservative defector Mark Reckless is tipped to win for Ukip.

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