Posted on 06/13/2004 3:41:09 AM PDT by MadIvan
THE UK Independence Party has won the support of one in five British voters in the European elections and is set to gain four times as many MEPs, senior party figures predicted last night.
They forecast that the party, which wants to pull out of the European Union, has captured 20% of the vote, boosting their strength in the European parliament from three to at least 12 seats. The result would put it in third place just behind Labour, which is expected to poll only a few per cent more, and ahead of the Liberal Democrats.
While the Tories are expected to be the overall winners, with a share of the vote of just below 30%, Michael Howard will have done worse than William Hague five years ago.
I think 20% is a realistic figure for us, said Nigel Farage, one of the UKIPs three MEPs. And in some areas well have done a lot better. Twelve seats is a very realistic prospect.
Although the vote was on Thursday, the same day as the local elections, the results cannot be announced before 9pm tonight when voting booths close in the rest of the Europe.
The UKIP has recently won the support of Robert Kilroy-Silk and Joan Collins.
Both Tony Blair and Howard were facing recriminations from senior figures in their parties last night over the super Thursday elections.
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown has told colleagues he fears that Blair will this week be forced to surrender Britains right of veto over tax as part of a deal to secure the new European constitution.
The chancellor has told the prime minister that he should refuse to sign up to the treaty at this weeks summit in Brussels if provisions to co-ordinate economic policies remain.
Browns allies say the chancellor is prepared to die in a ditch before seeing a constitution that allows any tax harmonisation via the back door.
He is determined to show that Labour is not a soft touch on Europe, as the main political parties brace themselves for a strong showing by UKIP when the results of the European elections are announced tonight.
Howard is under pressure because the results are expected to reveal that the UKIPs success has come from a significant chunk of would-be Tory voters.
Eric Forth, Conservative MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, said: The leadership is going to have to think very carefully about how we respond to this. There is a serious groundswell of opinion in this country that the UKIP seems to represent better than anyone else.
The issue of Britains future in Europe will dominate this week as Blair tries to draw a line under his drubbing and succeed in securing a landmark deal on the EU constitution.
Brown has been alarmed by passages in it that will require European countries to co- ordinate their economic policies, call for social and economic cohesion and establish European Union competence over national economies.
Brown, who successfully fought off an EU drive to harmonise savings taxes, is said to be incensed by suggestions that Britain should soften its opposition to the constitution.
He is backed by business. If we give in on any aspect of tax harmonisation we would see it as the thin end of the wedge, said Digby Jones, director-general of the CBI. We feel very strongly about this. If Tony Blair does not get agreement on this, he should walk away.
Yesterday Michael Meacher, Labours former environment minister, added to the pressure on Blair by saying: After these election results, Tony Blair will only regain the confidence of voters if he can show that he is willing to listen to his party and to the electorate and changes course.
Interesting, this would not have been my selection for a song, however, this does fit what falls under "these things need be".
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