UKIP 'clowns' have last laugh: Anti-Europe party's surge as PM forced to eat his words



UKIP's Nigel Farage claimed his party was country's third political force

The anti-EU party took chunks out of the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems



UKIP grabbed 139 council seats after winning a quarter of the vote

PM David Cameron withdrew his dismissal of UKIP as 'fruitcakes'



Conservatives loss of 335 seats was significantly lower than expected

Potential Tory/UKIP local government councils in five counties



Nigel Farage claimed UKIP was the country's third political force yesterday as David Cameron withdrew his dismissal of them as 'fruitcakes'.

The anti-EU party took chunks out of the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems, grabbing 139 council seats.

In the biggest surge by a minority party in England since the Second World War, UKIP won a quarter of the vote, pushing Labour into third and the Lib Dems into fourth.

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Last laugh: Nigel Farage claimed UKIP was the country's third political force after its election success

Winners and losers: UKIP gained 138 seats, while the Conservatives lost 335 and Lib Dems dropped 124

Mr Farage, in a reference to Tory minister Kenneth Clarke's attack on his party as 'clowns' just days ago, declared: 'Send in the clowns.'

The UKIP leader claimed it could now replicate the success of the Reform party in Canada, which used a by-election win to build a significant base in Parliament, and insisted he should be included in any party leaders' TV debates at the 2015 general election. Senior Tories were alarmed at the UKIP surge, but took comfort from the fact that the party's overall loss of 335 councillors was significantly lower than expected. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Even Michael Foot did better than this: Gove taunts Labour... David Cameron will ditch TV debates in 2015 because he is... The economy, not Europe, was motivation for this protest... Tories fight back with assault on migrant benefits Share this article Share They also expressed delight that Labour failed even to reverse its losses when the seats were last contested in 2009 at the nadir of Gordon Brown's popularity, let alone get back to its levels of support in 2005 when it last won an election. The results mean there are now potential Tory/UKIP local government coalitions in Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and East Sussex. Professor John Curtice, a polling expert at Strathclyde University, said: 'UKIP has put in a remarkable performance. Climb down: Prime Minsiter David Cameron withdrew his dismissal of UKIP as 'fruitcakes' 'The fascinating question is whether it will prove to be a blip or do we now have to accept that the days of two-party politics in Britain – which arguably were beginning to look a bit thin when we have a Coalition in charge at Westminster – are over? 'Are we now looking at a very different kind of politics for Britain? We don't know the answer.' Mr Cameron signalled a marked shift in the Tories' tone on the UKIP threat as he withdrew his dismissal of them in 2006 as 'fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists'. Asked if he stood by his attack, the Prime Minister said: 'Well, look, it is no good insulting a political party that people have chosen to vote for. Of course they should be subject and they will be subject to proper scrutiny of their policies and their plans. 'But we need to show respect for people who have taken the choice to support this party and we are going to work really hard to win them back.'

Speaking in his Oxfordshire constituency, Mr Cameron said: 'I think there are major lessons for the major political parties. Surge: UKIP won a quarter of the vote as it pushed Labour into thirds and Lib Dems into fourth 'For the Conservatives I understand why some people who have supported us before didn't support us again, they want us to do even more to work for hard-working people to sort out the issues they care about.

'More to help with the cost of living, more to turn the economy round, more to get immigration down, to sort out the welfare system. They will be our focus, they are our focus, but we have got to do more.'

Mr Farage insisted his party's success was not a flash in the pan, insisting: 'I don't think these votes are going away quickly. TORY LEADERSHIP EMBARRASSED TO LOSE IN THEIR OWN BACKYARDS

David Cameron suffered embarrassment blow after the Conservatives lost a county council seat in his Oxfordshire constituency to Labour. Laura Price seized Witney Central and South, held off UKIP challenge by 10 votes.

In a further blow, the Tories lost three seats in the Welwyn Hatfield area where Tory party chairman Grant Shapps is MP - including one to the Lib Dems. 'The people who vote for us are rejecting the establishment and quite right too: three parties, three front benches who look the same and sound the same and made up of people who basically have never had a job in the real world. 'We have been abused by everybody, the entire establishment, and now they are shocked and stunned that we are getting over 25 per cent of the vote everywhere we stand across the country. This is a real sea-change in British politics.'

Education Secretary Michael Gove insisted many who had voted UKIP would switch back to the Tories at the general election in 2015.

'At the next election, as Nigel Farage acknowledges, it's a straightforward choice between David Cameron and Ed Miliband. 'Those people who are voting for UKIP are emphatically not people who are likely to vote for Ed Miliband and they haven't been persuaded by what passes for his analysis of our current problems.

'Faced with that choice, I think the majority will conclude that David Cameron is the right person to change Britain for the better.'

Mr Gove warned Tory colleagues who might 'indulge in leadership speculation' in the wake of the UKIP surge that they would only damage the party.

'With great respect to anyone – actually, with no respect – it's barmy. The idea of changing the leader is bonkerooney,' he said.



Made up: Mr Farage, pictured having make-up applied before appearing on the BBC's election programme Boost: Attacks on UKIP as a bunch of 'clowns' backfired and helped bolster support, Mr Farage claimed

Plans for parliament: Mr Farage predicted that the result in the South Shields by-election, where UKIP's Richard Elvin (right) came second, meant his party was on course to win its first seat in the Commons Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman said: 'People might have voted UKIP, but they don't want it running the country.'

But Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable said the main parties needed to 'take the UKIP phenomenon seriously'.

'They have taken support from us, and Labour, but most of all from the Conservatives,' he said.

'I think it's a mixture of things – I mean, there is a general protest, but it's added to the fact that we're in a major economic crisis.

'It's a bit like the phenomenon you've seen in Italy – a new party coming from nowhere, not apparently standing for anything very much, with a sense of humour, not sort of nasty fascist but very much the populist right.' As UKIP leader Nigel Farage enjoyed a lunchtime pint to toast big gains, defeated Tories tore into Mr Cameron's 'out of touch' government for the losses. BBC analysis of the local election results said that if voting had been held nationwide, Labour would have won on 29 per cent but with UKIP a close third on 23 per cent UKIP gains in dozens of councils cost the Tories seats, and control of at least two authorities. With all 34 council election results declared in England, UKIP has won a total of 147 council seats, an increase of 139. The Tories lost 335, but were still left with 1,116. However Labour failed to make the 400 seen as the minimum gain needed to show Ed Miliband is on course to take power in 2015. Labour gained just 291 seats, taking them to 538. Lib Dems were down 123 to 353. UKIP claimed second place behind Labour in the South Shields parliamentary by-election, which saw the Tories pushed into third and the Lib Dems slumping to a humiliating seventh. Mr Farage boasted that if a by-election came up in a marginal seat, ‘we have every chance of winning it’. HOW THE UKIP's COUNCIL GAINS STACKED UP ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Lincolnshire: 16 seats Norfolk: 15

Cambridgshire: 12

Hampshire: 10 West Sussex: 10

Suffolk: 9

Essex: 9 East Sussex: 7

Buckinghamshire: 6

Devon: 4 Worcestershire: 4

Gloucestershire: 3 Surrey: 3

Somerset: 3 Isle of Wight: 2 Leicestershire: 2 North Yorkshire: 2 Staffordshire: 2

Dorset: 1 Wiltshire: 1

UKIP became the second largest party in Lincolnshire, winning 16 seats and depriving Conservatives of overall control.Among the UKIP winners in Lincolnshire were a mother and two daughters. Sue Ransome, 61, and her daughters Felicity and Elizabeth Ransome, 27 and 26, gained three seats in elections in Boston. The mother of four took the Boston East seat with 675 votes while Felicity took Boston Coastal with 826 votes and Elizabeth took Boston Fishtoft with 837 votes. Her husband Ron stood for Boston South, along with their daughter Jodie Sutton, 36, in Boston Rural - both came second.

In Gloucestershire, the Tory group left the door open to a power-sharing coalition with UKIP to run the county council. In Hampshire furious defeated Conservatives tore into the 'arrogant, out of touch' government whose failure to listen to voters had cost them their seats. In Warwickshire, the Tory council leader was unseated by Green party candidate Keith Kondakor. In Lancashire the BNP lost its only county council seat. The Tories lost control in nine councils, including Oxfordshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire. But the Conservatives strengthened their hold in Surrey, winning three extra seats. The only two councils to be won by Labour were Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, failing to win outright in Staffordshire, Lancashire and Cumbria. In analysis of the results, the projected national share of the vote if elections had taken place nationwide made for grim reading for the main parties. Labour was on 29 per cent, Conservatives 25 per cent and Lib Dems on 14 per cent. UKIP was projected to have secured 23 per cent of the vote, the BBC said.

A raft of bad publicity in recent days, including embarrassing revelations about UKIP candidates and policies which do not add up, seems to have done little to damage the party’s appeal. UKIP also picked up 10 seats in Hampshire, nine in Essex, three in Gloucestershire and three in Somerset In Dorset, Ian Smith became UKIP's first ever councillor despite not campaigning or even turning up to the count.

His name did not appear on any leaflets, he does not own a UKIP rosette and only agreed to stand three weeks ago. He only found out he had been elected by email this morning. 'My initial reaction was "my goodness!" I was shocked but I'm very happy,' he said.

Surprise win: Ian Smith celebrates winning a seat on Dorset County Council, despite not campaigning or even turning up to the count. He didn't even own a UKIP rosette Winners: In Essex UKIP won nine seats on the county council, including three wards in the Basildon and Wickford districts taken by (left to right) Mark Ellis, Kerry Smith and Nigel Le Gresley UKIP supporters celebrate after Colin Guyton (second right) wins a seat on Gloucestershire County Council

A distant relation of Guy Fawkes was among the UKIP winners. Retired headteacher Philip Fawkes and the would-be bomber shared a common ancestor in the Gunpowder Plotter's 15th century great-great-grandfather.

Mr Farage said it showed 'the blood of rebellion still runs in his veins'.

He won the South Waterside ward in Hampshire County Council, defeating Tory Alexis McEvoy, who pinned the blame on the Prime Minister.

'PUT DOWN DISABLE CHILDREN' COUNCILLOR IS RE-ELECTED A councillor who resigned after he said disabled children 'should be put down' to save taxpayers' money has been re-elected. Collin Brewer, an independent councillor, stood down from Cornwall Council in February after remarks he made at an equalities event at County Hall in Truro 18 months earlier went public. However the veteran councillor returned to politics by taking the seat of Wadebridge East by four votes from Liberal Democrat Steve Knightley.



Mr Cameron's of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European appears to have done little to persuade voters not to switch support to Mr Farage's party.

The Tories tried to put a brave face on the early results, knowing there could be worse yet to come.

Conservative chairman Grant Shapps said: ‘People have sent a message, we get it, we hear what people are saying, people are concerned that we get on with the big issues facing hard-working people in this country, like fixing the economy, sorting out the welfare system, helping hard-working people to get on.

‘There is a lot more to do, there's two years to go until the next election and in the end it will be a choice between whether you want Ed Balls and Ed Miliband, for Labour, in Downing Street or David Cameron trying to make sure that this country is always a place where hard-working people can get on.’

Nail-biting stuff: Sue Ransome, 61, shows off her polish in party colours after winning a seat on Lincolnshire council

Family affair: Sue Ransome, (right) and her two daughters, Elizabeth Ransome, 26, (left) and Felicity Ransome, 27, (centre)all took seats in local elections in Boston, Lincolnshire

Celebrating: Labour candidate Emma Lewell-Buck (left) held the safe seat. UKIP's Richard Elvin who came second is picture standing in front of Lib Dem candidate Hugh Annand who slumped to seventh But Mr Shapps is under pressure from Tory MPs who fear for their own seats if the party cannot see off the threat from UKIP. The Lib Dems took a seat from the Tories in his own constituency of Welwyn Hatfield.

Overnight counts took place at seven authorities which were held by the Tories before the election, with Conservatives losing control of two.

Tory party chairman Grant Shapps said people had sent the government a message

As well as in Lincolnshire, they were ousted from overall control in Gloucestershire, where there were four gains for Labour and three for UKIP.

The Conservatives retained control in Dorset, Essex, Hampshire and - narrowly - Somerset, where they lost five seats and the Liberal Democrats lost four.



Ministers are preparing to use next week's Queen's Speech to set out new measures on welfare and immigration aimed at winning wooing voters who have switched to UKIP.

New laws will be set out to curb benefits for immigrants, amid concern about the impact of the influx of Romanians and Bulgarians when movement restrictions are lifted next year.

A Bill which will limit the right of immigrants to access benefits, the NHS and other public services will form a centrepiece of the coalition's programme.

Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes said his party would back the tougher measures, in stark contrast to the party's policy at the 2010 election to offer an amnesty to illegal immigrants.

Mr Cameron also hinted that he was ready to bring forward legislation on an in-out referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, despite opposition from the Lib Dems.

In an apparent attempt to appease his backbenchers and help neutralise the UKIP threat, Mr Cameron suggested he was open to the idea of legislation to convince voters he will keep his pledge to hold an in/out vote by 2018 if he stays in power.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, yesterday urged him to ‘ram home the message’ that he will call a referendum on Britain’s place in the EU by backing legislation that would enshrine his promise in law.

Mr Cameron was on constituency duties, as members of his party claimed he had failed to get his message across

Today Tory MPs warned Mr Cameron he had to respond strongly to the UKIP threat.

Conservative backbencher John Baron, who last month delivered a letter to Mr Cameron signed by 100 Conservative MPs calling for referendum legislation, said the results should be a 'wake up call' for the Government.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme the need for at least an attempt at legislation to reinforce the Prime Minister’s referendum pledge was reinforced by the poll.

Mr Baron said: 'I take the view UKIP are not simply a protest party. There are a lot of people in Ukip with genuine concerns.

'If you can deliver legislation in this Parliament, or at least show serious intent that if the Conservatives get in we will definitely have an in/out referendum in 2017, then my question to anyone is why would you bother voting for UKIP?'

Labour struggle with worse results than when Foot was leader



Labour leader Ed Miliband needed to prove that he could win in the south of England to live up to his One Nation slogan

Labour has made fewer gains than in county council elections when Michael Foot was leader, the Tories said today.

In 1981, Labour gained 41 per cent of the vote and almost 1,000 seats on councils across the country.

Two years later the party slumped the party slumped to its worst result in post-war history.

Labour leader Ed Miliband staked his One Nation slogan on making big gains in the local elections.



He toured the country addressing high street crowds from a wooden pallet, saying he was doing politics 'in a different way'.

Polling experts Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher predicted Labour would gain 350 seats. But with 28 councils declared, the party was only up by 185 councillors.

It also failed to win back control of key authorities including Lancashire, Staffordshire and Cumbria.



Tory Educaton Secretary Michael Gove said: 'When he was leader of the opposition in 1981, Labour won Staffordshire, won Cumbria.



'They are not winning them now. What's really striking is no-one is voting for Labour in anything like the numbers they need to have.'

A Labour source said: 'It's the most ludicrous comparison I have heard.'

Lib Dems: Where we don't have MPs we have been obliterated



Lib Dem president Tim Farron (left) said UKIP voters had to be treated with 'respect' while Lib Dem home office minister Jeremy Browne said voters wanted politics to be done differently

The Lib Dems claimed to be making gains against the Tories in the south, but performed woefully in areas where they do not have a sitting MP.

Tim Farron, the Lib Dem president, said his party had been 'obliterated' in the South Shields by-election.

He told BBC Radio : 'The Westminster battleground seats are where it’s at, and for the Lib Dems South Shields is one extreme, where we’ve got little strength on the ground and we got obliterated.

'And then you look at other places like Cheltenham, Taunton, Eastbourne, hopefully Westland and places like mid Dorset where we’ve got to win at the next election and we’re doing extremely well. And most of our battles are against the Tories, and against the Tories we’re doing extremely well.'



He added that people who have back UKIP must be treated with 'respect'.

'You don’t dismiss them by writing them off as loonies. The people who vote UKIP are decent people, moderate-minded people who are angry.



'I think they may well not like what the Coalition Government is doing and they also blame Labour as well, in part at least, for the mess that we are in.'

But Lib Dem home office minister Jeremy Browne said the rise of UKIP, under Mr Farage's relaxed leadership, was a reaction to the way the main parties have carried out politics in Britain.

'I think there is a wider sense among people voting UKIP that the way that politics has been done in this country, and the style of politics is something that people are railing against.



'And I think that there are some people who are uncomfortable with some policy direction as well.'

He attacked the victory speech of Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck as the 'most stage-managed, inauthentic political display'.



Labour's Norma Redfearn ousted incumbent Tory Linda Arkley in the battle to be mayor of North Tyneside.

Results in Gloucestershire showed the Tories lost overall control, with UKIP, Labour and Lib Dems making gains