By-election a blow for Cameron's party
2013-03-01 14:27
London - A by-election in southern Britain delivered a
blow on Friday to Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives, which was
pushed into third place by the euro-sceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP).
The Conservatives' junior coalition partner the Liberal
Democrats retained their seat in Eastleigh with 32% of the vote, but both
parties lost a large slice of their support to UKIP.
The result, described by Cameron as
"disappointing", will raise renewed questions about his leadership.
He recently promised an in-out referendum on EU
membership in a bid to quieten the anti-EU wing of his party and win back
voters tempted to vote for UKIP.
UKIP, which advocates British withdrawal from the EU, won
27% of the vote, an increase of 24% from the last by-election in 2010.
It was the best-ever result for the party in a vote for
the Parliament in Westminster.
It has 11 of Britain's 73 members of the European
Parliament in Brussels.
The Conservatives won 25%, down almost 14%, while the Lib
Dems share of the vote was also eroded by 14%.
- SAPA
