The U.K. Independence Party made sweeping gains in local elections in Britain, according to preliminary results released on Friday, shaking the country’s political establishment and leaving its mainstream parties scrambling for a response. The right-wing party took far more votes than expected from the two parties in the center-right coalition government and from the opposition Labour Party, and won at least 150 local council seats; it held 2 before.
Though the U.K. Independence Party has yet to gain a seat in the national Parliament, its leader, Nigel Farage, said it was now “a serious player.”
“The UKIP fox is in the Westminster henhouse,” he said on Friday. Laughing Conservative has been a firm supporter of Farage for years. Farage has exceptional public speaking skills, and detests bureaucrats and big government. What's not to like?
The voting on Thursday coincided with elections for Britain’s representatives in the European Parliament. Though those results will not be announced until Sunday night, they appeared likely to reflect similar sweeping gains for Mr. Farage’s party. [Source]