Political writer Neil Glass is to stand against the former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis in the Haltemprice and Howden by-election and has promised to donate half his MP’s salary to charity should he get elected. The by-election, likely to take place on July 10, has been triggered by Mr Davis’s profound opposition to the government’s insistence that terror suspects should be detained for a minimum of 42 days.

Bournemouth-based Mr Glass, 54, who writes under the pen-name David Craig, is the author of Squandered (Constable).  He describes himself as “Jewish, but non-practising”.