BRITAIN: British Liberal Democrat leader Mr Charles Kennedy yesterday dismissed the threat posed by the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in next month's European election.
Recent polls have indicated a surge in support for the UKIP, with suggestions it could even overtake the Liberal Democrats. But Mr Kennedy said that would not happen.
"If you look at the one poll - and it is completely out of step with everything that has been published over the last two years - even in the worst case scenario it still shows the Lib Dems as the only one of the three mainstream political parties up on our level of support," he said.
Mr Kennedy said the Lib Dems were on target to increase their number of Euro MPs and the UKIP might pick up one or two more seats.
A poll last week put the UKIP just four points behind the Lib Dems. The YouGov survey for the Daily Telegraph also found that among the 39 per cent of voters who said that they were "very likely" to vote in next month's European elections, the UKIP came out with 18 per cent, three points ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 15 per cent.
Meanwhile a Tory peer disciplined for backing the UKIP yesterday criticised the Conservative leadership over the move. Lord Pearson of Rannoch said the leadership was "silly" to withdraw the whip from him and called on the party to admit its European project had gone wrong. "Many others feel as we do. It would be more helpful if they admitted to the British people that their European project had gone horribly sour and that it is time to leave. UKIP could then return to the Conservative fold."