Nigel Farage spoke to Brexit Party supporters in Dartford, but earlier stayed on his bus to avoid milkshake-bearing activists

Britain’s European election results are set to add to a major surge by populists across Europe, leading to political deadlock over top EU jobs and increasing the risk of a no-deal Brexit.

The latest projections by the authoritative “Europe elects” website puts the Brexit Party on track to win with 28 seats, better than Ukip’s high of 24 in 2014.

Nigel Farage’s victory will be seen as a “warning signal” by the EU and will harden President Macron’s hostility to any further delay to Brexit beyond the present deadline of October 31.

Behind the scenes: A look at the rise in populism across Europe ahead of the EU elections

The French president expressed hostility yesterday to any extension, saying that more delays, given the expected European parliament election results, would spill into a political battle over the direction of the EU.