'The Ukip fox is in the Westminster henhouse'
Ukip are celebrating after trouncing their rivals in the local elections in England.
Ukip now have 102 seats so far - a massive increase of 101 - with many councils still to declare their results. So it's likely they will get yet more seats. In fact, only 79 of the 161 English councils taking part in the elections have declared their results. However, Ukip's seats are so thinly spread they have not gained control of any councils.
And, experts say that had this been a general election, Ukip would have won their first seat in the Commons.
The elections have been held for all 32 London boroughs, all 36 metropolitan boroughs, 74 second-tier district authorities, 20 unitary authorities and various mayoral posts, all in England. It isn't the whole of England which has held local elections but, still, large swathes of it still went to the polls. Almost half - 1,800 - of all the council seats up for grabs in England are in London.
Elections to the new councils in Northern Ireland have also been held (Northern Ireland has different political parties to the rest of the UK).
Around 46 million people have been eligible to vote.
Ukip gains cost the Tories control of Basildon, Castle Point and Southend while a surge in Essex saw Mr Farage's party erode the Labour grip in Thurrock - a key Westminster target for Ed Miliband's party.
In the north, Ukip showed it could pose a threat to Labour in its strongholds, taking 10 of the 21 council seats up for election in Rotherham, including nine gains, and polling an average of 47 per cent where its candidates stood. Ukip will especially be proud of their result in Rotherham because it is the town where, a year ago, the council - rather disturbingly - took a baby off its foster carers because they were Ukip supporters!
The Lib Dems lost control of Portsmouth after Ukip won six seats, including defeating under-fire Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock who was standing for re-election to the council.
Ukip don't seem to be doing as well in London, a more left-wing and ethnically diverse area of the country, though they have still gained council seats in some of the city's 32 boroughs.
Speaking to reporters outside his home this morning, Mr Farage said: 'There are areas of the country where now we have got an imprint in local government.
Under the first-past-the-post system we are serious players.'
A surge in support for Ukip has cost all the mainstream parties seats and control of councils, as Nigel Farage's People's Army marches into town halls across the country.
The Tories, Labour and Lib Dems all saw their grip on local authorities eroded as dozens of seats fell to Ukip in local elections in England.
After 66 councils had declared results, Ukip had gained 91 seats, with the Tories losing 118 and Labour gaining 132.
Bolton, my hometown, now has two Ukip councillors, after previously having none, although the town remains under Labour control.
A jubilant Mr Farage declared: 'The Ukip fox is in the Westminster hen house.'
Clegg and Miliband after his party takes council seats from Tories in the south and Labour heartlands in the north
Tories in South and Labour in Midlands and North suffer as Ukip win seats
Labour makes gains in London but falls short of expectations elsewhere
Conservatives lose Hammersmith and Fulham to Labour in shock result
Tories also lose control of Essex councils as Ukip deny them majorities
Lib Dems lose Portsmouth and Tories rob them of Kingston-upon-Thames
Nick Clegg refuses to resign as Labour MPs round on Ed Miliband
European election results will not be announced until Sunday night
By Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor and Tom Mctague, Mail Online Deputy Political Editor
Daly Mail
23 May 2014
Results so far in England (just the Big Four parties)
Councils
Labour: 49 (+5)
Conservatives: 25 (-9)
Liberal Democrats: 2 (-2)
Ukip: 0 (0)
Councillors
Labour: 999 (+168 )
Conservatives: 783 (-134)
Liberal Democrats: 268 (-151)
Ukip: 102 (+101)
79 of 161 councils have so far declared their results
A surge in support for Ukip has cost all the mainstream parties seats and control of councils, as Nigel Farage's People's Army marches into town halls across the country.
The Tories, Labour and Lib Dems all saw their grip on local authorities eroded as dozens of seats fell to Ukip in local elections in England.
After 66 councils had declared results, Ukip had gained 91 seats, with the Tories losing 118 and Labour gaining 132.
A jubilant Mr Farage declared: 'The Ukip fox is in the Westminster hen house.'
Ukip leader Nigel Farage clutches a bottle of wine as he is mobbed by supporters and the media as he met new councillors in South Ockendon
Cheers! After a gruelling election campaign, Mr Farage savers a pint in a pub in Benfleet
By midday, with 66 councils having declared results, Ukip had gained 91 council seats
Of the first 66 councils to declare, Labour is in control of 37 councils, up four, while the Tories have lost eight councils, leaving them in control of 21
Ukip gains cost the Tories control of Basildon, Castle Point and Southend while a surge in Essex saw Mr Farage's party erode the Labour grip in Thurrock - a key Westminster target for Ed Miliband's party.
In the north, Ukip showed it could pose a threat to Labour in its strongholds, taking 10 of the 21 council seats up for election in Rotherham, including nine gains, and polling an average of 47 per cent where its candidates stood.
The Lib Dems lost control of Portsmouth after Ukip won six seats, including defeating under-fire Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock who was standing for re-election to the council.
Speaking to reporters outside his home this morning, Mr Farage said: 'There are areas of the country where now we have got an imprint in local government.
Under the first-past-the-post system we are serious players.'
Tory leader David Cameron ruled out an election pact with Ukip, insisting his party had to do more to persuade voters they were delivering for Britain
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg refused to resign after losing flagship councils, while Labour leader Ed Miliband faced fresh criticism of his leadership style
HOW THE UKIP FACTOR ROBBED RIVALS OF COUNCIL CONTROL
Ukip might not have won any councils themselves, but a surge in support robbed the other parties of overall control of town halls across the country.
Ukip gains cost the Tories control in Maidstone, Basildon, Peterborough, Castle Point and Southend-on-Sea.
Similarly, Labour lost control of Thurrock and Lib Dems were ousted from Portsmouth after Ukip won seats.
BIGGEST UKIP WINS (Ukip did well in Essex):
Basildon 11 seats
Portsmouth 6 seats
Thurrock 5 seats
Southend 5 seats
Castlepoint 5 seats
Maidstone 4 seats
Mr Farage suggested that the idea that Ukip had only damaged the Tory vote had been blown away by the results.
'There were two conversations going on last night. One was in Westminster amongst commentariat and MPs... The other conversation was going on in Swindon where the Labour leader said: "We've been hurt by Ukip",' he told the BBC.
'Another conversation was going in Rotherham where Ukip won 10 seats and Labour won 11 seats.
'In the West Midlands Labour were saying 'Ukip are splitting our vote and letting the Tories in'. And I think this idea that the UKIP vote just hurts the Tories I think is going to be blown away by these results.'
All the main parties have been left reeling about how to respond to the Ukip threat, with just a year to go until the general election.
Labour leader Ed Miliband, under pressure for failing to make major gains with a year until the general election said voters turned to Ukip out of a 'deep sense of discontent' with the way the country is being run.
He insisted he can 'persuade' Ukip backers to support him in the battle for Number 10 in May next year.
He told Sky News: 'I think in some parts of the country we've had discontent building up for decades about the way the country has been run and about the way our economy works and people feeling that the country just doesn't work for them.
'And so what you are seeing in some parts of the country is people turning to Ukip as an expression of that discontent and that desire for change.'
Early indications suggested Ukip appeared to be struggling to make progress in London, where the big battles were between Labour and the Tories.
In a boost for Mr Miliband, Labour ousted the Tories from Hammersmith and Fulham, a flagship authority in the capital.
Labour also gained the key target London borough of Croydon from the Conservatives. Labour gained seven seats, while the Tories lost seven seats.
Tory party chairman Grant Shapps was forced to rule out a pact with Ukip at the general election to stem the loss of support.
More than 4,000 council seats were up for grabs, including the London boroughs and those in Northern Ireland.
Votes were also cast throughout the UK for the European Parliament contest to return 73 MEPs - but those results will not be announced until Sunday night.
Ukip supporters celebrate big national gains as they wait for leader Nigel Farage to arrive in South Ockenden
Frances Fox celebrates becoming Ukip's first councillor elected in Peterborough
The count at Trinity School in the London Borough of Croydon seemed to be too much for some
LABOUR KICK TORIES OUT OF HAMMERSMITH AND FULHAM
Labour hailed a 'spectacular' victory in Hammersmith and Fulham, taking control of the flagship Tory council.
Eleven Conservative seats in the Tory stronghold went to Labour - leaving the council with 26 Labour seats and 20 Conservative.
The borough, sometimes described as David Cameron's favourite, has been under Conservative control since 2002.
Ed Miliband's party also won overall control of the south London borough of Merton, gaining eight seats.
The party also made gains in Hastings, Carlisle, Cannock Chase, Dudley and Ipswich.
Labour also took Cambridge from no overall control, taking seats off the Liberal Democrats.
The Tories lost overall control of Maidstone in Kent, after Ukip took four seats and Labour gained one.
The Conservatives also saw the grip on Peterbroough eroded, losing three seats to Ukip and one to Labour, and narrlowly clung on in Tamworth after Ukip took one seat.
The Tories also lost Brentwood, in the backyard of Communities Secretary Eric Pickles. They lost two seats to the Lib Dems and one to Labour, which means that no party has a majority.
The Conservatives also lost control in Southend-on-Sea after a Ukip surge saw them gain five seats.
Ukip took five seats in Castle Point, denying the Tories of another overall majority.
Ukip showed signs of making major gains elsewhere in Essex, traditionally a key Labour-Tory battleground which can decide general elections.
Margaret Thatcher identified the 'Essex man' when prime minister as someone who previously would have been expected to vote Labour but backed her leadership thanks to polices targeted to appeal to them.
In Basildon, Ukip gained 11 seats - becoming the second largest party and costing the Tories control of the council.
Mr Farage's party gained seven seats from the Conservatives, two from Labour and one each from the Lib Dems and an independent.
In Thurrock - a key swing seat in the Commons - Ukip gained five seats, meaning that Labour lost control of the council.
Updated results so far in England (just the Big Four parties)
Councils
Labour: 58 (+5)
Conservatives: 27 (-10)
Liberal Democrats: 5 (-2)
Ukip: 0 (0)
Councillors
Labour: 1147 (+181)
Conservatives: 881 (-156)
Liberal Democrats: 316 (-169)
Ukip: 124 (+122)
After 94 of 161 councils
