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UKIP came under attack today after failing to join other European politicians wanting to end the Strasbourg “gravy train”.

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to end the £130million a year “travelling circus” which sees MEPs travel from Brussels once a month to sit in the French city.

All Labour and Conservative MEPs backed the move but the 4 UKIP MEPs present for the vote - John Agnew, Gerard Batten, Derek Clark and Roger Helmer - all abstained.

The decision could save taxpayers millions of pounds a year as well as the £12million spent on maintaining the Strasbourg Parliament building which is empty for 300 days of the year.

If it goes ahead it means MEPs will just sit at the Brussels Parliament.

However, it could be vetoed by the French at a summit next month when EU heads of states meet to ratify the Parliament vote.

Labour’s Europe spokesman Gareth Thomas MP said: “Labour MEPs voted in favour of abolishing the wasteful practice of moving the European Parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg every month.

“Labour has a longstanding commitment to abolish the Strasbourg seat which cost taxpayers £100 million each year and tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

“The unnecessary ‘Strasbourg shuttle’ wastes millions of pounds a year and damages trust in the institutions of the EU and that is why Labour believes it should be abolished.”

Conservative MEP Ashley Fox who co-sponsored said MEPs who failed to back the vote should not be “able to look voters in the eye.”

“This vote is an overwhelming endorsement of our campaign to scrap the parliament’s dual seat system.

“Over the parliament’s seven-year term budget this will in fact cost taxpayers a staggering £928 million. In hard economic times, there are so many better things that could be spent on rather than empty buildings and needless journeys.”

But UKIP MEP Derek Clark defended the decision to abstain.

He said: "This resolution from the European Parliament is not worth the paper it is written on."