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The UK Independence Party (UKIP, /ˈjuːkɪp/ YEW-kip) is a Eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party was founded on the idea of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union but has since become a multi-issue party with a full manifesto.

UKIP has never won a seat in the House of Commons. UKIP holds two in the unelected House of Lords, both due to defections from Conservative peers. It has 12 seats in the European Parliament, which is a reduction from 13 won in 2009 because of defections, but with one gained from the defection of Roger Helmer from the Conservative Party

The leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage, was re-elected on 5 November 2010, having first served from 2006 to 2009. Farage has been a UKIP MEP since 1999 and is a founding member of the party after leaving the Conservative Party in 1992 when it led Britain into the Maastricht treaty.

In the 2009 election to the European Parliament, UKIP attained 13 seats with 16.5% of the vote, coming second behind the Conservative Party, overtaking the Labour Party in terms of votes, and drawing with it in terms of seats. In the 2010 general election, the party polled 3.1% of the vote, an increase of 0.9% from the 2005 general election. In the 2011 local elections, UKIP took control of Ramsey town council, as well as maintaining its seven councillors across England, and one in Northern Ireland.

History

Founding and early years

UKIP was founded in 1993 by Alan Sked and other members of the all-party Anti-Federalist League - a political party set up in November 1991 with the aim of fielding candidates opposed to the Maastricht Treaty.

Its primary objective was withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The new party attracted some members of the Eurosceptic wing of the Conservative Party, which was split on the European question after the pound was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992 and the struggle over ratification of the Maastricht Treaty. UKIP candidates stood in the 1997 general election, but were overshadowed by James Goldsmith's Referendum Party.

After the election, Sked resigned from the leadership and left the party because he felt "they are racist and have been infected by the far-right" and "doomed to remain on the political fringes". However, Goldsmith died soon after the election and the Referendum Party was dissolved, with a resulting influx of new UKIP supporters. The leadership election was won by the millionaire businessman Michael Holmes, and in the 1999 elections to the European Parliament UKIP gained three seats and 7% of the vote. In that election, Nigel Farage (South East England), Jeffrey Titford (East of England), and Michael Holmes (South West England) were elected.

Over the following months there was a power struggle between Holmes, and the party's National Executive Committee (NEC). This was partly due to Holmes making a speech perceived as calling for greater powers for the European Parliament against the European Commission. Ordinary party members forced the resignation of both Holmes and the entire NEC and Jeffrey Titford was subsequently elected leader. Holmes resigned from the party itself in March 2000. There was a legal battle when he tried to continue as an independent MEP until resigning from the European Parliament in December 2002, when he was replaced by Graham Booth, the second candidate on the UKIP list in South West England.

UKIP put up candidates in more than 420 seats in the 2001 general election, attaining 1.5% of the vote and failing to win any representation at Westminster. It also failed to break through in the elections to the Scottish Parliament or the Welsh Assembly, despite those elections being held under proportional representation. In 2002, Titford stood down as party leader, but continued to sit as a UKIP MEP. He was replaced as leader by Roger Knapman.

Kilroy Silk and UKIP under Knapman

The European Elections of 2004 proved to be UKIP's first major electoral victory, coming third place and winning 12 MEPs. In the London Assembly elections of the same year UKIP won two London Assembly seats.

In late 2004, reports in the mainstream UK press speculated on if or when the former Labour Party MP and chat-show host Robert Kilroy-Silk would take control of the party. These reports were heightened by Kilroy-Silk's speech at the UKIP party conference in Bristol on 2 October 2004, in which he called for the Conservative Party to be "killed off" following UKIP's forcing the Conservatives into fourth place in Hartlepool.

Interviewed by Channel 4 television, Kilroy-Silk did not deny having ambitions to lead the party, but stressed that Roger Knapman would lead it into the next general election. However, the next day, on Breakfast with Frost, he criticised Knapman's leadership. After further disagreement with the leadership, Kilroy-Silk resigned the UKIP whip in the European Parliament on 27 October 2004. Initially, he remained a member, while seeking a bid for the party leadership. However, this was not successful and he resigned completely from UKIP on 20 January 2005, calling it a "joke". Two weeks later, he founded his own party, Veritas, taking a number of UKIP members, including both of the London Assembly members, with him.

UKIP had hoped to sustain its momentum in the 2005 General Election, but despite fielding 495 candidates, the party failed to achieve a breakthrough as it had in the European elections a year before. UKIP gained 618,000 votes, or 2.3% of the total votes cast in the election, an increase of 220,000 votes / 0.8% from their result in the 2001 general election. This placed it fourth in terms of total votes cast, behind the Liberal Democrats and ahead of the Scottish National Party. However, the party again failed to win any seats at Westminster. 45 UKIP candidates saved their deposits, up from only six in 2001. Its best performance was in Boston & Skegness, where their candidate Richard Horsnell came third with 9.6% of the vote.

Following the 2005 general election, Kilroy-Silk subsequently resigned from Veritas after its performance in the election, having harnessed only 40,000 votes.

2009 European Elections

On 28 March 2009, the Conservative Party's biggest-ever donor, Stuart Wheeler, donated £100,000 to UKIP after criticising David Cameron's stance towards the Lisbon treaty and the European Union. He said, "If they kick me out I will understand. I will be very sorry about it, but it won't alter my stance." The following day, 29 March, he was expelled from the Conservative Party.

On 15 May 2009, a YouGov poll conducted for The Sun newspaper showed UKIP as having 15% of the vote for the impending European Elections, only 5% behind the Labour Party. The surge in support was accredited by The Sun to public despair stemming from the MPs' expenses crisis.

Although the make-up of UKIP MEPs has changed because of the defection of David Campbell-Bannerman and Nikki Sinclaire's departure from the party, the regional breakdown of the vote was as follows:

The path to the 2010 general election

In September 2009, Nigel Farage announced that he would be resigning as Leader of the party in order to stand against the Speaker, John Bercow — an imperfectly observed convention states that the main parties do not normally nominate candidates against an incumbent Speaker. Malcolm Pearson, Baron Pearson of Rannoch, Gerard Batten, Nikki Sinclaire, Mike Nattrass and Alan Wood stood for election, with Pearson winning.

UKIP fielded 572 candidates in the 2010 general election, with its main target being Buckingham. UKIP aimed for a hung parliament in which it hoped that the Liberal Democrats would drive through proportional representation as a key demand to form a coalition government. Lord Pearson demanded that some candidates stand down in favour of Eurosceptic Conservatives and Labour MPs. However, some refused to do so. This did not stop Lord Pearson from campaigning on behalf of the Conservative candidates stating that he was "putting country before party". These decisions drew some criticism from within the party from the likes of Michael Heaver of Young Independence, among others.

On the morning of polling day, Farage was injured when a light aircraft in which he was a passenger crashed near Brackley, Northamptonshire.

In the election itself the party polled 3.1% of the vote (919,471 votes), but took no seats. This made it the party with the largest percentage of the popular vote to win no seats in the election (In a fully proportional system, 3.1% of 649 seats would be just over 20 seats).

In UKIP's key target of Buckingham, Farage obtained just 17.4% of the vote - despite Lord Tebbit and numerous senior Conservatives voicing support for him and a Conservative Home online survey putting Farage on 64% and Bercow on 25% - placing him third behind Bercow and the independent John Stevens (Buckinghamshire Campaign for Democracy), who had previously resigned from the Conservatives to found the Pro-Euro Conservative Party. UKIP was also third in three other constituencies: North Cornwall, North Devon and Torridge and West Devon. Farage's result was the best in all constituencies contested in that election. The constituency of Boston and Skegness also achieved a large percentage of vote, the party's second best in terms of percentage.

UKIP lost five sitting councillors in the UK local elections in May 2010, though only one of them had previously been elected as a UKIP councillor (Steve Allison in Hartlepool).

Recent events

Re-election of Farage

Lord Pearson resigned as leader in August 2010, and Farage was re-elected against Professor Tim Congdon, David Bannerman and Winston McKenzie with more than 60% of the vote. During his acceptance speech, he spoke out against the Coalition government, saying that the Conservative Party's policy on Europe can be summed up as: "Surrender, surrender, surrender."

Lord Pearson welcomed Farage's re-election, saying, "The UKIP crown returns to it rightful owner."

Since the 2010 general election

Since the 2010 general election, UKIP has gained a councillor on Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council. Stuart Wheeler, who once gave £5 million to the Conservatives, has also joined as the Party Treasurer.

In two by-elections in early 2011, UKIP fared better than predicted, with its candidate Jane Collins coming second in Barnsley Central. Farage welcomed Collins' success and said that UKIP should now aim to replace the Liberal Democrats as the third largest party, saying: "The Lib Dems are no longer the voice of opposition in British Politics - we are. Between now and the next general election our aim is to replace them as the third party in British politics."

UKIP fielded 1,217 candidates for the local council elections, a major increase over its previous campaigns but not enough to qualify for a party election broadcast on television. UKIP said that the party was well-organised in the South East, South West and Eastern regions but there were still places across the country where there were no UKIP candidates standing at all. There were many candidates from Young Independence (YI), the Youth wing of UKIP, such as YI's former and current chairmen, Michael Heaver and Harry Aldridge.

Although no Young Independence candidates were elected, many significantly increased their votes. For example, a candidate in Thurrock came within 98 votes of winning the council seat and making a gain from the Conservative party. Across the country, many UKIP candidates came second or third, including Nathan Brittain of Newcastle-Under-Lyme who was second with 31% of the vote. UKIP had done very well in Newcastle-under-Lyme gaining a total of five seats on Newcastle Borough Council in 2007 and 2008 and three seats on Staffordshire County Council in 2009. UKIP was defending three seats at the 2011 local elections and lost all of them to Labour, by small majorities. Although UKIP did not poll well, it made gains across many parts of England, gaining two new councillors in Aylesbury Vale, one in Tunbridge Wells and another in Wycombe as well as taking control of Ramsey town council with nine UKIP councillors out of 17. The Chairman of Young Independence, Harry Aldridge, was enthusiastic about the results, saying, “What we have seen in these elections is a raft of enthusiastic first time candidates from YI, from whom we have got some very encouraging results.” Whilst UKIP made gains and losses, the party fell short of Farage's predictions of major gains. However, UKIP candidates came second in many wards. The UKIP MEP Marta Andreasen called for Farage's resignation as leader of the party.

In the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish elections, UKIP increased its share of the vote in all areas, retaining its sole Northern Irish councillor but failing to gain Welsh Assembly members, which media speculation had suggested UKIP and the Green Party could have achieved. The party received 4.6% (an increase of 0.7%) of the vote on the regional list, more than half of the Liberal Democrats share and comfortably higher than the Greens. In Northern Ireland, UKIP more than doubled its share of the vote but did not gain any seats. The same occurred in Scotland with UKIP more than doubling its share of the vote but failing to gain any seats.

On July 7, UKIP beat the Liberal Democrats in two local government by-elections, both in wards which UKIP had never contested before. Farage used these results to reaffirm his commitment to replacing the Liberal Democrats as Britain's third political party.

On 5 September, a few days before UKIP's annual conference, the party chose Lawrence Webb as its mayoral candidate for the 2012 London mayoral election with a 42% share of the vote. The other nominees were David Coburn, Paul Oakly, Winston McKenzie (who had previously stood for the leadership of UKIP), Michael McGough and Michael Corby.

On the day before UKIP's annual conference, the party came second in an Essex County Council by-election, beating the Labour and Liberal Democrat share of the vote put together, and reducing the Conservative's majority substantially.

Coverage of UKIP's activities in the mainstream media in 2011 was comparatively small, with the exception of the Daily Express which quoted several spokesmen from the party in its pages. UKIP spokespeople had some success in appearing in other media channels including the television channel Russia Today and on the Alex Jones show.

Relationship with Conservative Party

A day after UKIP's September 2011 conference in Eastbourne, Farage (on Twitter) reported that two Conservative councillors from Rushmoor Borough Council who had attended the conference had defected to UKIP over the government's actions on the Armed Forces and the refusal for a referendum on the European Union. On 10 October, Lord Hesketh defected from the Conservatives to UKIP, something that Farage and the UKIP leadership welcomed with open arms and called the most high-profile Conservative defection to date. In an article in the Daily Mail, he said that he believed that the EU had "betrayed the country's working people" and that he would be an active member of UKIP.

At the UKIP Spring Conference 2012, Roger Helmer left the Conservative Party and joined UKIP, increasing the number of sitting UKIP MEPs to 12 and making UKIP the largest party in the East Midlands constituency.

Party leaders

Policies

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Although UKIP's original raison d'être was withdrawal from the European Union it was felt that the public perception of the party as a single-issue party – despite issuing a full manifesto – was damaging electoral progress. Farage, on becoming leader, started a wide-ranging policy review, his stated aim being "the development of the party into broadly standing for traditional conservative and libertarian values". Malcolm Pearson, on becoming leader, built upon Farage's policy review, his fundamental propositions being the introduction of Swiss style referendums and direct democracy at local and national levels, and opposition to Islamic fundamentalism.

UKIP has subsequently produced detailed policy documents on taxation and education.

Economic policies

UKIP's economic stance is based on what it claims to be the need for much lower taxation in order to compete internationally. It proposes combining income tax and national insurance into a single flat tax at 31 per cent, which it claims would take 4.5 million lower-paid workers out of the income tax system completely. UKIP also proposes cuts in corporation taxes and the abolition of inheritance taxes. On the subject of business and enterprise, UKIP proposes to establish 'Production Enterprise Centres' to assist companies in research, design, prototyping and marketing. This would mean that small and medium-sized enterprises would be provided with the skills to enter into markets without being shunned, and thus businesses failing to survive.

On the issue of the national debt, UKIP admits that there should be cuts in government services but ones of front line status should still thrive. UKIP believes that things such as administration and politicians salaries should be at the top of the list for government cuts instead of services. The party also believes that there is substantial waste and inefficiency that can be eliminated while vital front line services remain fully protected. UKIP also aims to reduce the size of the public sector to what it was in 1997, making cuts into unnecessary and taxpayer-costly jobs and to also create one million skilled jobs in manufacturing in exchange for public sector jobs. Finally, the party believes profligate government spending is killing off the productive activity that provides tax funds, and that easing the burden will be the route to revitalising the economy.

The party also advocates closer economic ties with the Commonwealth of Nations.

Education policy

UKIP's policy paper on education says it regards the aim of education as being to bring out the talents and abilities of every child. The party wants to give schools more freedom to determine their own direction so parents can have a more meaningful choice. It supports education vouchers for parents, would reform the national curriculum to give schools a greater say over the subjects taught, and would abolish the nationwide testing of children before the age of 11. UKIP supports grammar schools equally with the other kinds of state-funded schools. Lord Pearson, on becoming leader, went on to propose the introduction of a school voucher system. UKIP plans to re-introduce the "three Rs" into schools and to introduce simple reading tests to students at the age of 7. UKIP aims to allow teachers to do their jobs with minimal government interference. It plans to abolish Ofsted with its powers to be transferred to school governing bodies with a new independent Educational Inspectorate made up of experienced teachers. Another education policy is to allow schools a greater say over what they can teach, although key subjects will be retained.

UKIP has condemned the Badman Review, which recommends greater regulation of home educators in England, and it supports home education as a parental choice.

Defence

UKIP claims that the Armed Forces are 'starved' of money, have insufficient resources and equipment and are engaged in expensive, wasteful military operations. On the War in Afghanistan, UKIP aims to create a single, clear objective or seek to negotiate a withdrawal from the area. The party is committed to NATO and is fully against the creation of a European Army: Eurocorps. UKIP agrees that defence spending should be increased; the party believes that the structure of the Ministry of Defence is bureaucratic and wasteful. UKIP plans to cut bureaucracy and waste but to increase spending in the Armed Forces and to improve equipment. UKIP pledges to:

• Spend an extra 40% on defence annually, another 1% of GDP.
• Expand the Army by 25% to 125,000 personnel and to double the size of the Territorial Army.
• Restore the Royal Navy to its 2001 strength with three new aircraft carriers and nearly 70 other ships, at the same time guaranteeing the future of the Plymouth, Portsmouth and Rosyth naval bases.
• Increase the Royal Air Force's capability by buying more essential helicopters, transport aircraft and 50 extra Joint Strike Fighter Lightning aircraft.
• Cut the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Defence, which has one civil servant for every two military personnel.
• Introduce better pay, conditions and medical care for the British Armed Forces personnel and their families.

British nationality

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UKIP states that Britain and Britishness have been "betrayed by misguided politically correct ideology, extremist Islam and errant nationalism from within", that "Britain is a proud nation state, which does not wish its identity to be diluted or trivialised... and feel it is time to assert our independence, identity and traditions."

UKIP asserts that it believes in civic nationalism. UKIP "opposes multiculturalism and political correctness but rejects "blood and soil" ethnic nationalism. UKIP promotes uni-culturalism, a single British culture embracing all races, religions and colours". It states that Britishness can be defined in terms of belief in democracy, fair play and freedom.

UKIP would replace the May Day bank holiday in England with a St George's Day bank holiday. It would introduce an English Parliament and end the Barnett formula.

UKIP has stated that it will "enthusiastically support teaching Gaelic languages and histories in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Cornwall, and support local and area heritage across the UK."

UKIP opposes the takeover of major British companies, such as the takeover of Cadbury's by Kraft Foods in 2010, and would create a new parliamentary committee that would be given powers to block the sale or merger of companies and to attach conditions, including requiring a UK Government “Golden Share”.

All media, businesses, schools and colleges would be required to use imperial measurements alongside metric measurements.

Immigration and asylum

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UKIP states that some 2.5 million immigrants have arrived since 1997 and up to one million economic migrants live in the UK illegally. UKIP asserts that "former New Labour staff maintain that this policy has been a deliberate attempt to water down the British identity and buy votes. EU and human rights legislation means we cannot even expel foreign criminals if they come from another EU country. This is why immigration control is so essential and overdue." UKIP's 2011 manifesto pledges the party will:

• Call for an immediate five-year freeze on immigration for permanent settlement and will insure that any future immigration does not exceed 50,000 people per year.
• Ensure that after the five-year freeze, any future immigration for permanent settlement will be on a strictly controlled, points-based system similar to that in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
• Regain control of the UK's borders. Entry for work will be on a time-limited work permit only while entry for non-work related purposes (e.g., holiday or study) will be on a temporary visa. Overstaying a visa will be treated as a criminal offence.
• Triple the number of UK Borders Agency staff engaged in controlling immigration to 30,000.
• Return people found to be living illegally in the UK to their country of origin. No amnesty for illegal immigrants as it encourages illegal immigration.
• Require those living in the UK under ‘Permanent Leave to Remain’ to abide by a legally binding ‘Undertaking of Residence’ ensuring they respect our laws or face deportation. Such residents will not be eligible for benefits. People applying for British citizenship will have to have completed a period of not less than five years as a resident on ‘Permanent Leave to Remain’. New citizens should pass a citizenship test and sign a ‘Declaration of British Citizenship’ promising to uphold Britain’s democratic and tolerant way of life.
• Enforce the existing terms of the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees until Britain replaces it with an Asylum Act. To avoid disappearances, asylum seekers will be held in secure and humane centres until applications are processed, with a limited right to appeal. Those seeking asylum must do so in the first ‘designated safe country’ they enter. Existing asylum seekers who have had their application refused will be required to leave the country, along with any dependants.
• Require that certain visas, such as student visas, will necessitate face-to-face interviews, and UKIP will crack down on bogus educational establishments
• Repeal the 1998 Human Rights Act and withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In future the British courts will not be allowed to appeal to any international treaty or convention that overrides or sets aside the provisions of any statute passed by the UK Parliament.
• Reintroduce the ‘Primary Purpose Rule’ (abolished by the Labour Government), whereby those marrying or seeking to marry a British citizen will have to convince the admitting officer that marriage, not residence, is their primary purpose in seeking to enter the UK.
• End the active promotion of the doctrine of multiculturalism by local and national government and all publicly funded bodies.

In 2011, the British academics Matthew Goodwin, Robert Ford and David Cutts published a study suggesting that xenophobia and dissatisfaction with mainstream parties are important drivers of support for UKIP, along with Euroscepticism. They concluded that "UKIP is well positioned to recruit a broader and more enduring base of support than the BNP and become a significant vehicle of xenophobia and, more specifically, Islamophobia in modern Britain.

Direct democracy and referendums

UKIP would introduce direct democracy whereby if a fixed proportion of the electorate in each constituency (normally 5 per cent) signs a petition demanding a referendum on any major issue which is of concern to them, it would be granted within three months for local petitions and six months for national petitions.

Energy and environmental policies

UKIP favours an expansion of nuclear power for reasons of energy security. UKIP is sceptical of anthropogenic global warming, and suggests instead that the current warming is similar to that of previous geological cycles, and calls for further evidence provided by a Royal Commission before it will accept that it is manmade. It does not believe large-scale cuts in carbon emissions are necessary, arguing that technological innovation is already moving towards decarbonisation, and also argues that plans to invest in wind power are uneconomic.

Animal welfare

UKIP would introduce labelling schemes to imports indicating the methods of production, e.g. battery cages, sow tethers, veal crates, whilst maintaining current levels of British animal welfare. It would use advertising campaigns to educate consumers about the labelling schemes.

UKIP would look at the present system of import control to find out how it can be strengthened using expert opinion. UKIP states that it would rely on British veterinary and scientific advice in the event of any disease outbreaks, including Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Bovine TB.

GM foods

UKIP is opposed to the production of GM crops in Britain, yet open to scientific research, advice and consumer demand. UKIP would also require that all imported GM produce be labelled as 'genetically modified'.

Identity cards and civil liberties

UKIP is against the Identity Cards Act 2006. In December 2004, UKIP affiliated to the anti-ID card campaign, No2ID. Concern for civil liberties also led UKIP to oppose the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which gives additional powers to the UK Home Secretary in broadly defined "emergency situations". UKIP's Jeffrey Titford MEP condemned the bill as "totalitarian".

Local government

UKIP seeks to give more powers to local authorities.

It would restore the county as a key government with unitaries only where local people prefer them.

UKIP would use city-wide authorities to provide continuity and strategic direction, with counties cooperating on area-wide strategies, where necessary. However, area-wide co-operation across large scale planning, transport and development will be encouraged.

Same-sex marriage

In March 2012, the National Executive for UKIP stated that the party opposes same-sex marriage, but supports the existing concept of civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

Representatives

Grouping in the European Parliament

In 1999, three UKIP members were elected to the European Parliament. Together with Eurosceptics from other countries, they formed a grouping called Europe of Democracies and Diversities (EDD).

In 2004, 37 MEPs from the UK, Poland, Denmark and Sweden founded a new European Parliamentary group called Independence and Democracy (ID) from the old EDD group. However, following the European Parliament election, 2009, where Eurosceptic parties from Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere lost all representation, the ID group was dissolved.

UKIP has since formed a new right-wing grouping called Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) comprising nationalist, Eurosceptic, conservative and other political factions. This group is more right wing than the older Independence and Democracy grouping.

In June 2012, the Centre for European Politics, based at the Royal Holloway University in London, published an attack on UKIP's far right links in the European Parliament.

Current representatives

UKIP now has 12 MEPs in European Parliament. Mike Nattrass and Trevor Colman have left the EFD grouping but still stand for UKIP . Roger Helmer was elected as a Conservative MEP but defected to UKIP in March 2012.

Ramsey Town Council

On 6 May 2011, the party won nine out of the seventeen seats for Ramsey Town Council in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Before the election, the party had only one seat in the town council. On 12 May, UKIP councillor Lisa Duffy was elected as Mayor. The UKIP group leader for Huntingdonshire District Council said that the town council under UKIP would "be standing up for volunteers and the third sector and will be making grants to them to help the big society develop." The Daily Mail has claimed that UKIP "has made political history after taking control of its first council in the UK".

See also

• Bruges Group

References

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51. UKIP 2011 Manifesto, pg 7
52. ^ "UKIP on "The Problem: Britain and Britishness under pressure"" (PDF). Retrieved 18 May 2010. Cite error: The named reference "ukip.org" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
53. http://www.ukip.org/page/ukip-national-manifesto
54. UKIP 2011 Manifesto, section 3 pg 5
55. Ford, Robert; Goodwin, Matthew J.; Cutts, David (2011), "Strategic Eurosceptics and Polite Xenophobes: Support for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in the 2009 European Parliament Elections", European Journal of Political Research, doi:10.1111/j.1475-6765.2011.01994.x, retrieved 18 November 2011 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
56. http://www.ukip.org/media/pdf/UKIPconstitution.pdf | UKIP contitution Section 2.1 Constitutional Affairs, Direct Democracy & Referenda
57. UKIP Environmental Policy, 2009 . Retrieved 17 January 2010.
58. ^ "Food, Farming and the Countryside: A farming and rural affairs programme for an independent Britain," Policy Statement (UKIP, October 2009), Section 14: Animal Welfare
59. "Food, Farming and the Countryside: A farming and rural affairs programme for an independent Britain," Policy Statement (UKIP, October 2009), Section 12: GM Foods
61. ^ http://www.ukip.org/media/pdf/UKIPconstitution.pdf | UKIP contitution Section 2.2 Governance,Local Government
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64. Centre for European Politics: "UKIP in alliance with Marine Le Pen and the Austrian Freedom Party", 20 June 2012 (Accessed 5 July 2012)
65. "UKIP makes history by taking its first council". Daily Mail. London. 15 May 2011.

External links

• Official website
• UKIP in the European Parliament - UKIP MEPs' website
• Official UKIP Local Councillors
• UKIP's MEPs explain their aims

• Ill-formatted IPAc-en transclusions
• Use dmy dates from December 2010
• Eurosceptic parties
• Libertarian parties
• Political parties established in 1993
• United Kingdom Independence Party
• Nationalist parties in the United Kingdom
• 1993 establishments in the United Kingdom
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• Right-wing populism