CLACTON MP Douglas Carswell has called for Ukip to be better represented in the House of Lords.

Mr Carswell has been left as the Eurosceptic party’s only Member of Parliament following May’s General Election.

The party is represented by three peers, despite gaining almost four million votes at the election.

In comparison, the Liberal Democrats have 102 members in the House of Lords, despite gaining just 2.4 million votes across the country.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Mr Carswell asked Chris Grayling, Leader of the House, whether he would consider a debate over the issue “to ensure the upper House is more fairly representative of the broad spectrum of political opinion in this country”.

He added it would be so the Lords “might at least try to retain the pretence of legitimacy”.

Mr Grayling responded by joking: “I suspect the honourable gentleman is referring to the fact that there are not many UK Independence Party peers in the House of Lords.

“I suspect he is feeling lonely. He has no friends in this House, so I suspect he is looking for a few friends at the other end of this place.”

Following the exchange, Mr Carswell criticised Mr Grayling for making a “gag” when he was asking about sensible question about fair representation.

“I don’t feel lonely in the least,” Mr Carswell told the Gazette.

“Anyone who goes into Parliament for the company needs their head examined.

“I have gone there to shake things up, not to make friends.

“But on a serious note, it was quite revealing. It was a sensible question about making the House of Lords more representative, yet the response from one of the most senior figures in Government is to sneer and belittle.

“But the person being belittled here is not me – it’s the millions of people who voted for Ukip.

“This is what people rarely see.

When the cameras are not rolling in Westminster, there is a condescending attitude towards the voters.

“With four million Ukip voters and thousands from local people in Tendring, I don’t feel lonely at all.”