Douglas Carswell
John Douglas Wilson Carswell (born 3 May 1971) is a British former politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2017, co-founded Vote Leave and currently serves as president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
Douglas Carswell | |
|---|---|
Carswell in 2009 | |
| Member of Parliament for Clacton Harwich (2005–10) | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 3 May 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Ivan Henderson |
| Succeeded by | Giles Watling |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Douglas Wilson Carswell 3 May 1971 London, England |
| Political party | Conservative (before 2014, 2017–present) |
| Other political affiliations | UKIP (2014–2017) Independent (2017) |
| Spouse | Clementine Bailey |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of East Anglia King's College London |
As a member of the Conservative Party, Carswell was first elected as the MP for Harwich in 2005 and then for Clacton in 2010. In August 2014, he changed his political allegiance to the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and announced his resignation as an MP. He stood in the subsequent by-election and was returned under his new affiliation, becoming the first elected MP for UKIP. He stated that he was joining UKIP out of a desire to see "fundamental change in British politics" and because he believed "many of those at the top of the Conservative Party are simply not on our side. They aren't serious about the change that Britain so desperately needs."
In 2016, Carswell said that he had "jumped ship with the express goal of changing the image of UKIP and ensuring that it was an asset rather than a liability in the referendum campaign…to decontaminate the brand". He left UKIP on 25 March 2017, to sit as an independent MP. He did not stand at the 2017 general election. In January 2021 he was appointed as president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.