Cheerio
UKIP leader Gerard Batten has lost his seat as an MEP in a crushing defeat for the party following its move to the far-right.
Voters who previously voted for UKIP looked to have turned away in favour of Nigel Farage’s newly formed Brexit party.
While UKIP’s vote has collapsed universally, from more than 30 per cent to 3 per cent in the east of England for example, the Brexit party is performing better than Nigel Farage’s old political vehicle did in 2014.
The Lib Dems won in London, where Batten was standing, and the Tories were also wiped out as their vote collapsed across the country in unprecedented fashion.
Overall vote share in London
Liberal Democrats: 27% (+20%)
Labour: 24% (-13%)
Brexit Party: 18% (+18%)
Greens: 12% (+4%)
Conservatives: 8% (-15%)
Change UK: 5% (+5)
UKIP: 2% (-15%)
In the eight seats contested in the region, the Liberal Democrats took three – Irina Von Wiese, Dinesh Dhamija, Luisa Porritt, Labour two – Claude Moraes, Sebastian Dance, the Brexit party two – Benyamin Habib, Lance Forman, and the Greens one – Scott Ainslie.
UKIP won the European election in 2014 across the UK but look set to contest for last place with Change UK amongst the major parties.
Gerard Batten’s adviser Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon conceded defeat in the north-west before the results were declared.
