Disappointment for UKIP and Veritas

Friday, 6 May 2005 12:00 AM

Election night brought disappointment for both Veritas, the party founded by Robert Kilroy-Silk, and the UK Independence Party - the party he left behind.

Mr Kilroy-Silk's own hopes of a return to Parliament were ruined when Labour's Elizabeth Blackman retained the Derbyshire seat of Erewash.

The former chat show host and ex-Labour MP, won nearly 3,000 votes, (5.85 per cent of the vote), coming fourth behind the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

Ms Blackman won 22,472 votes, though there was a 4.76 per cent drop off in her majority.

UKIP also failed to make a significant impact, dashing hopes of a breakthrough following a strong showing in last year's European elections.

Europe failed to emerge as one of the key election issues, taking a back seat to the economy, public services and Iraq; and the party was also hamstrung by the acrimonious departure of Mr Kilroy-Silk, who had looked like a potential leader.

Lacking his celebrity status, UKIP had to settle for a bit part in the campaign and is this morning counting the cost of more than 300 lost deposits.

Even in Totnes, Devon, where leader Roger Knapman stood, the anti-EU party was an also-ran, with the former Conservative MP securing just 3,914 votes.

Mr Kilroy-Silk, who fell out with the UKIP leadership when a UKIP MEP, was characteristically defiant about the future of his new party. He vowed to carry on the fight, adding his party would be contesting the Staffordshire by-election.

Voting was postponed because one of the candidates died after nominations closed.

"We will certainly be fighting to get our country back from those who stole from it in terms of fighting the constitution and the referendum on the constitution for Europe," he said.

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