UKIP wins largest share of Europe vote in Britain

The UK Independence Party has beaten Labour and the Conservatives to

win the largest share of the vote in the European Parliament elections.

Following a storming performance, UKIP leader, Nigel Farage has said

the UK had seen “an earthquake because never before in the history of

British politics has a party seen to be an insurgent party ever topped

the polls in a national election”.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats leader, Nick Clegg’s control of his party

has come under further pressure after his party lost each of its MEPs,

following a campaign when it had branded itself as the only party in

the UK to take a pro-European Union stance.

In the early hours, the Liberal Democrats' president, Tim Farron,

defended the decision to campaign on a pro-EU stand, warning that the

UK is now “in danger of slipping out of the European Union”.

The Euro result will put pressure on British prime minister

David Cameron to take a more Eurosceptic line, though, so far, Mr

Cameron has sought to avoid making new pledges that will box him in

negotiations with other EU states.

In 2009, the Conservatives won 25 seats in the European Parliament,

with 27.9 per cent of the vote; while UKIP then took 13 places with 16.6 per cent,

Labour took 15.8 per cent and 13 MEP seats, while the Liberal Democrats got

13.8 per cent and 11 MEPs.

This time, however, UKIP has led comfortably in all regions so far

declared, bar London, leading comfortably in the East of England,

along with strong showings in other regions, including in the South

West of England.

Mr Cameron is facing pressure from some Conservatives to hold a

referendum on EU membership in 2016, a year earlier than he plans to

do.

In the earliest declared result from Sunderland, Labour took two

seats, while UKIP took one at the expense of the Conservatives and the

Liberal Democrats.

In the East of England, which was expected to be UKIP’s stronghold,

the party took three of the seven MEPs on offer with over 500,000

votes.

Significantly, perhaps, tallies from Newark in Nottinghamshire - which

has a by-election in early June, showed that UKIP beat the

Conservatives.

In Poole in Dorset, just less than 40 per cent of voters in one county council

district voted for UKIP, while in Wales UKIP finished just behind the

Conservatives in Pembrokeshire.

Northern Ireland and Scotland will not report final election results

until Monday, though UKIP could win one of Scotland’s seven MEPs seats

is being closely watched.

Indeed, some in Westminster hope for a UKIP win in Scotland - if only

to block the Scottish National Party’s attempts to portray Scotland as

“UKIP-free”.

Following on local election gains and increased numbers in the

European Parliament, UKIP now intends to target 20 House of Commons

constituencies in the 2015 general election.

The gains made by Eurosceptics elsewhere in the EU is seen as a plus

by No. 10 Downing Street, which hopes that it will increase the

appetite for reform.

Equally, however, there are fears that the centre-right European

People’s Party and the centre-left Socialists Party will unite to

drown out newly-elected Eurosceptic MEPs.

If so, and this is expected, then the European Parliament could become

a significant blocking force to London-led demands for reforms.

Pressed to respond to UKIP’s popularity, the Conservatives, Labour and

the Liberal Democrats are clearly struggling to come forward with new

ideas.

The Conservatives believe they must do more to inform and persuade the

public about Mr Cameron’s referendum pledge, though its existence is

still unknown to many voters.

Meanwhile, Mr Cameron has promised speedy action to toughen welfare

benefit rules that would lead to the expulsion of migrants three

months after they claim benefits.

So far, Labour has issued tougher noises about immigration, but with

no concrete changes on offer, while it is set to begin to start

directly attacking UKIP.

Despite wobbles on Friday night in the face of UKIP gains, when some

Labour MPs began to criticise leader, Ed Miliband, the party regained

some of its poise over the weekend.

The late-emerging confidence occurred after a detailed opinion showed

that Labour has made major gains against the Conservatives in key

battleground seats.