Nigel Farage’s Eurosceptic UK Independence Party’s (UKIP) victory in the European elections added a new dimension to the debate on Britain’s EU membership. While UKIP, which wants Britain to pull out of the EU, won 27.5 percent of the vote and 24 seats, the pro-EU Liberal Democrats, were reduced to a single seat.

A week before the European elections, Britain held its local elections where UKIP scored great success in breaking Britain’s three-party mould, and hoped its victory would be replicated in the European Parliament.

The Guardian newspaper called the results a “small earthquake in England,” saying the populist UKIP had proven it could take votes off the Conservative Party’s southern stronghold, and the Labour Party’s in the north.

Follow Politics Zone on:

FacebookTwitter

Likewise, The Times commented on the results saying that they confirmed voters were fed up with mainstream parties, with none enjoying appeal in every part of the country.

UKIP won 157 seats in the council seats, having previously held just two, although it still does not actually control any council. Labour, led by Ed Miliband, went up 292 lower than the party had hoped for, while the Conservatives were down 201. Liberal Democrats went down a massive 284 seats to 404. In terms of control of councils, the Conservatives were down 11, Labour up six, and the Lib Dems down two.

Grassroots Disenfranchised

Looking at the results of both local and European parliament elections, it becomes apparent that the British voter is feeling more inclined towards resolving local issues in light to increasing austerity measures over the past few years.

If the main British parties can learn anything from UKIP’s rise, they must realise that mainstream politics will need to pay more attention to grassroots concerns including housing and immigration, which the working class may feel are issues not being thoroughly addressed.

At the same time, European integration, which seemed to be an inevitable step for the future of Britain, is being contested with more voters leaning towards opting out of the European Union.

Average Britons are feeling the burdens of economic difficulties which increasing voices have associated with increasing numbers of immigrants into the UK from Europe and elsewhere. Britons feel that the lucid European Union and its borderless policies has allowed foreigners to trickle in, and not only occupy the increasingly diminishing number of jobs, but also add to the burdens of the social welfare system.

On a regional level, Prime Minister Cameron urged European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to look into reform. “The turnout and results… have underlined the need for reform to ensure that the EU is doing more to deliver what voters care about: jobs, growth and a better future,” he said, according to a statement released by his Downing Street office.

It is therefore expected that Cameron’s promise to revisit Britain’s EU membership terms will be a pressing and more important short-term goal on the agenda, with a national in-out referendum to close the deal.

Ethnic Minorities

The rise of UKIP has also signalled an increasing intolerance to minorities in UK. Ethnic and religious groups have rarely voted for UKIP due to their fear of being marginalised by their policies.

Over the past several years, David Cameroon has pressed for establishing a culture of British values among British communities and has warned of less tolerance towards groups who do not participate in this national agenda.

Although ethnic minorities in Britain were deeply discomforted by the rise of UKIP in the recent electoral results, the far-right British National Party led by Nick Griffin lost its seat giving them a sense of security.

On the contrary, in France, the far-right National Front witnessed strong victory in the European Parliament elections signalling a visible learning within French public.

Europe is living a new phase in its political and economic unity – one that is underlined by economic and political challenges which will shape both local and regional policies. The results of the European and local elections in the UK are symbolic of the directions policymakers will take.