'Preposterous' UKIP claim Cameron recalled MPs to authorise airstrikes in order to overshadow Farage's conference speech

• 'Preposterous' UKIP claim Cameron recalled MPs to authorise airstrikes in order to overshadow Farage's conference speech

  'Preposterous' UKIP claim Cameron recalled MPs to authorise ISIS airstrikes in order to overshadow Farage's conference speech

• UKIP leader furious at timing of Commons vote on ISIS bombing campaign
• Nigel Farage is set to address the UKIP conference in Doncaster tomorrow
• David Cameron last night announced recall of Parliament over airstrikes
• MEP Suzanne Evans said the decision to bring back MPs was a 'cynical ploy'
• Former minister Liam Fox said UKIP was suffering 'total loss of perspective'

By Tom McTague, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline

Published: 14:12 GMT, 25 September 2014 | Updated: 14:34 GMT, 25 September 2014

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UKIP leader Nigel Farage hit out at David Cameron for recalling Parliament during his party's conference

UKIP MEPs have been accused suffering a 'total loss of perspective' after suggesting David Cameron had called a vote on military action against ISIS to take attention away from Nigel Farage.

The party is holding what is billed as its 'biggest ever' conference at Doncaster Racecourse tomorrow – with Mr Farage set to give his set-piece address.

But the party has been left infuriated after Mr Cameron announced that Parliament would be recalled to allow MPs to vote on plans to start bombing ISIS.

But UKIP MEPs – including the leader Nigel Farage - suggested the recall was a cynical ploy to take attention away from his party's conference, which is being held in Doncaster tomorrow and Saturday.

MEP Suzanne Evans accused David Cameron of a 'cynical ploy' to divert attention away from Ukip's conference.

She said: 'I think I've been in politics long enough now to know that you have to be a little bit cynical, I'm afraid.

'What happened the day after Douglas Carswell defected? The threat level, the security threat level to Britain was raised.

'And I think Private Eye hit the nail on the head there, that the threat level had actually been raised from Substantial Boris to Severe Farage.

'And now, on the day the Ukip party conference starts, he does something that actually several people had been calling for him to do for weeks: recall Parliament to try and sort out the problem of this barbaric death cult in Iraq and Syria.'

She added: 'I think this is a cynical ploy, I'm afraid.'

Fellow MEP Patrick O'Flynn wrote on Twitter: 'Just fancy that - Cam may recall Parly on 1st day of UKIP conference to announce that he has finally worked out which side to bomb in Syria.'

David Sea-Borne, the party's 2015 candidate for Featherstone, said Cameron was 'scared' of what leader Nigel Farage might say on Friday at the Ukip conference.

 

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It came after Mr Farage said: 'It is widely believed Prime Minister David Cameron held back on recalling Parliament on an issue of massive national importance so it didn't affect the Labour Party conference, which finished today.

'However, he still thought it best to delay parliamentary recall until Friday, and not do it tomorrow.'

The party is believed to be considering moving Mr Farage's keynote speech to 11am on Friday to avoid a clash with the potential parliamentary debate.

But the former Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the claim was 'preposterous'.

He said: 'I'm in Washington at the moment and all eyes are on ISIL and the Middle East. Does he think the Americans are trying to take attention off Ukip too?

'The government are hugely focused on this, all the world is concerned about it.

'It really is a sign of total loss of perspective if Farage believes this is to do with a minor party's conference.'

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British RAF fighters are set to join US Navy F-18E Super Hornets (pictured) over northern Iraq from tomorrow night

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Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox said Mr Farage had lost 'all sense of perspective' after suggesting David Cameron had delayed calling a vote in Parliament on bombing ISIS to coincide with the UKIP conference

Former Culture Secretary Maria Miller added on Twitter: 'Farage puts self interest / UKIP conference before Britain's safety / fighting terrorism. Good he's not in Number Ten making the calls.'

Dan Byles, Tory MP for North Warwickshire, wrote: 'UKIP tinfoil hat brigade think international military action is deliberately times to disrupt their conference. They really are a joke.'

And communities minister Penny Mordaunt said: 'Farage really does think the world revolves around him.'

Mr Cameron returned from New York overnight to hold a War Cabinet this afternoon. The visit has been in the diary for weeks and it was always clear that MPs would not be needed to sanction action until after then.

The PM announced last night that MPs would return tomorrow to vote on whether Britain should take part in air strikes against Islamic State.

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