That's the spirit

"England is a most beautiful kingdom," wrote Rupert Matthews, "and a most haunted one."

"Wherever you turn there are ghosts, phantoms or spectres," he continued in his 2006 book A Ghosthunter's Guide to England. "They crop up almost anywhere."

Matthews is the author of over 170 books on the paranormal and other subjects. He is available to book for speaking engagements on topics such as "Your local ghosts" and "The yeti is real!" He is also the new Conservative MEP for the East Midlands.

Drafted in to replace Andrew Lewer, who was elected to the UK Parliament last month, pro-BrexitMatthews once said that the EU could send troops onto the streets of London to stop Britain leaving. Matthews has been approved for the move to Brussels by Conservative head office.

Matthews is not alone in his views: a surprisingly large proportion of the population believe in apparitions and poltergeists.

Recent pollsWhen people are asked what their opinion is on a certain topic or who they are voting for in an election.  found that 42% of Americans and 52% of Britons believe in ghosts. And 28.5% of students at a US university reported having seen a ghost. There are over 10,000 "haunted" locations in Britain according to the UK tourist board.

Celebrities such as Matthew McConaugheyThe Oscar-winner says that he shares his house with an apparition named Madame Blue, with whom he has become friends., Miley Cyrus and Patrick Stewart all share a belief in ghosts. The latter told fellow cast members that he saw a ghost while on stage performing Waiting For Godot.

Even the Daily Mail, which derided Matthews as "wacky", has published several stories about supposed ghosts appearing in photographs.

Perhaps we should not be asking how someone who openly espouses views such as Matthews has risen to such a position of power, but why it has taken so long. One could argue that people with a belief in the paranormal are severely under-represented.

What does science have to say about all this? The human brain is wired to anthropomorphise, or see human features in ordinary objectsCheck out @FacesPics on Twitter if you do not know what we mean., and one study found that people with a higher propensity to do this are more likely to believe in ghosts.

People also tend to see ghosts at times when there is poor lighting, or they are waking upSome people report seeing supernatural beings and not being able to move when they wake up. This is a symptom of sleep paralysis, where someone wakes up whilst still in a dream-like state. or falling asleep. In other words, when their senses are not at their best.

Still, this is not proof that ghosts are not real. Could they be?

No way, say scientists. There is no evidence to suggest they are. Believing in ghosts is an outdated superstition based on tricks of the light and mind. It is big business too - people pay good money to stay in "haunted" houses, and for books like that by Matthews.

Don't be so sure, say others. There are many things science cannot explain. Lots of people believe in God, for example. There is no scientific theory that explains the mind and soul, and no one knows what happens after you die. With so many people reporting sightings, there must be something behind belief in ghosts.