23/05/2014

UKIP Secures Significant Gains

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said his party will be "serious players" at the 2015 general election, following today's elections results.

Mr Farage, whose party secured its greatest gains in Essex, said: "The UKIP fox is in the Westminster hen house."

However, despite huge gains for the party, it does not yet control any local authorities.

Mr Farage said: "There are areas of the country where we have now got an imprint in local government. Under the first-past-the-post system we are serious players."

Labour is also making gains, with Tories and Lib Dems both losing councillors.

When questioned about the possibility of a possible Conservative/UKIP alliance, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "We are the Conservative Party. We don't do pacts and deals. We'll be fighting all out for a win at the next election."

He contined: "People want us to deliver. The economy is growing, we are creating jobs, but we have got to work harder and we have got to really deliver on issues that are frustrating people and frustrating me, like welfare reform and immigration and making sure people really benefit from this recovery."

Labour leader Ed Miliband also commented on the results: "I think what we heard last night was a deep sense of discontent with the way the country's run and a deep desire for change.”

(CVS/IT)

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