Britain`s UK Independence Party surged to its best ever performance in local council elections on Friday, boosting the hopes of Nigel Farage`s anti-EU and anti-immigration group for European parliament polls.
|Last Updated: May 24, 2014, 12:07 AM IST|Source: AFP
London: Britain`s UK Independence Party surged to its best ever performance in local council elections on Friday, boosting the hopes of Nigel Farage`s anti-EU and anti-immigration group for European parliament polls.
Farage said his party were now "serious players" after taking votes from the three main parties, posing a headache for Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of general elections in May 2015.
Elections for some local councils in England and Northern Ireland were held yesterday alongside the European parliament vote, the results of which will not be announced until Sunday.
"The UKIP fox is in the Westminster hen house," a beaming Farage said today as the first results came through.
Despite his party having no seats in the British parliament, the beer-swilling, chain-smoking Farage has led UKIP from fringe party to become a standard bearer for the eurosceptic movement across the continent.
Cameron has promised an in-out referendum on Britain`s EU membership in late 2017, largely to see off the perceived threat of the eurosceptic UKIP on the right.
In results from 132 out of 161 councils in England available at 1600 GMT, UKIP had gained 146 council seats, having previously held just two, although it did not actually control any city halls.
The main opposition Labour party led by Ed Miliband gained 260 seats, lower than the party had hoped for.
Cameron`s Conservatives lost 186 seats while the Liberal Democrats of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg took a pounding, losing a massive 253 seats as a result of the party`s unpopular coalition with the Conservatives.
Turnout was a relatively weak 36 percent according to initial estimates.
A projected national share of the vote in a Britain-wide election suggested that Labour would have got 31 per cent, ahead of the Conservatives on 29 per cent with UKIP on 17 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 13 per cent.
Farage will be hoping to win his party`s first seat in the British parliament next year.
"We are serious players," Farage said on Friday. "Over the course of this summer we will choose our target constituencies and throw the kitchen sink at them."
Cameron said he still believed the Conservatives could win a majority at the general election but admitted there was voter frustration with the mainstream political parties.
"The economy is growing, we are creating jobs, but we have got to work harder," he said.
Labour leader Miliband rejected criticism of his leadership style after the party failed to make its expected gains.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.