Farage optimistic of UKIP gains
UKIP has a “realistic possibility” of winning up to seven seats in the next General Election, according to Nigel Farage, the party’s leader in the European Parliament.
Mr Farage told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme that the party will contest 600 seats at the next election.
Asked how many MPs UKIP can expect to win, he said: “There may be six or seven seats in which we have a realistic possibility of winning.”
Attempting to allay scepticism towards such gains, he pointed to the party’s recent successes including the 11 UKIP MEPs who took up their seats after June’s European elections and the two new London Assembly members.
Conservative Party leader Michael Howard today pledged to hold an early referendum on Europe if he wins the next election.
Mr Farage, however, was quick to dismiss suggestions that by proffering such a pledge, Mr Howard had shot UKIP’s fox.
“He wasn’t talking about a full referendum on whether we come in or stay out”, remarked UKIP’s leader in the European Parliament.
“He was talking about a referendum on further integration and frankly this is the same line that we’ve been hearing from the Tories for year after year, sadly they don’t really mean it.”
Mr Farage accused the Mr Howard of wheeling out policies to hold together a party “desperately divided amongst itself”.
He also dismissed in the “short term” the possibility of Robert Kilroy-Silk nudging out Roger Knapman as party leader.
However, Mr Farage admitted in the long term the East Midlands MEP and former chat show host could take hold of the UKIP helmsmanship.
Mr Kilroy-Silk told the party’s annual conference in Bristol that the Conservatives were in a terminal decline and that UKIP must replace it.
The party has been buoyed by its third place finish in Thursday’s Hartlepool by-election, pushing the Tories into fourth place.
In the by-election Stephen Allison of UKIP secured 3,193 votes, relegating Conservative candidate Jeremy Middleton into fourth place.
Labour’s Iain Wright won with 12,752 votes, with Jody Dunn of the Liberal Democrats coming in second with 10,719.
