Britain's far-right surges in local polls

Britain's far-right UK Independence Party, known for its strong anti-immigrant rhetoric, today made "remarkable" gains in local elections, emerging as a serious threat to the three main political parties of the country.
The party, also known for opposing Britain joining the 27 member Eurpean Union, has emerged as a serious threat to Britain's three main political parties, the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats today, in what is being described as the biggest protest voting in history of the country in the council elections held yesterday.
UKIP averaged 26 per cent of the vote in the wards it contested, making it the biggest gain by a fourth party in England since World War II, according to BBC.

Until now, the UKIP was seen as largely peripheral party, with a number of its members in the news for making racist or anti-semitic remarks.
As part of its many party pledges, the UKIP has vowed to introduce a five-year freeze on immigration and make overstaying a visa a criminal offence.
"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," Farage told BBC.

Among the UKIP candidates, there was Indian-origin Sushil Patel - the father of Conservative MP Priti Patel, who had created a stir with his decision to stand for the far-right party. He came second to the Tories in Hertfordshire.

With around seven of the 35 council election results declared so far, the Tories have lost two of the seven seats it held and the Liberal Democrats have also lost several seats, including four in their key target area of Somerset.
"It was a protest against central government's polices - it's disappointing but we'll bounce back," said Peter Bedford, a Conservative councillor who lost his seat to a UKIP candidate.
The polls also included a key by-election in South Shields, a Labour stronghold vacated by David Miliband, who recently announced his exit from politics.
While Labour was able to retain the seat with Emma Lewell-Buck winning 6,505 votes, UKIP grabbed second place with 24 per cent of the vote. The party was surprisingly able to grab Conservative and Liberal Democrat voters, even though it contested the seat before.

Prime Minister David Cameron has already attempted to counter the UKIP threat by floating the possibility of granting MPs an in-out EU referendum before the 2015 election.
Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps said his party had heard the message and failed to move quickly enough to get the message out. "We get it. We have heard you, we understand and we are also anxious to make progress," he said.
But pressure to shift further right on the immigration issue could intensify if UKIP continue to make significant gains.