The rise and fall of UKIP in Cornwall
In the 2001 general election, in Cornwall, the UK Independence Party polled an average 2.6% of the vote and lost every deposit. In 2005 UKIP polled an average 5% of the vote and lost its deposit in only one constituency, Falmouth & Camborne. In 2010 the average UKIP vote share fell to 4.9% and the party lost its deposit in North Cornwall, St Austell & Newquay and Truro & Falmouth.
Last year's elections for the European Parliament, of course, returned two UKIP MEPS for the South West and it would be premature to write the party off completely. But there is now likely to be a fair bit of blood-spilling and internal feuding, not least directed at party leader Lord Pearson, whose most notable contribution to the recent general election campaign was to tell UKIP supporters in Somerset to vote Conservative.
I'm ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Devon’s Graham Smith, blogging on news, views and some fresh insights into West Country life, particularly the way government works locally and nationally.
Comment number 1.
At 11th May 2010, delviton4 wrote:UKIP's vote share in Cornwall decreased by 0.1%, from 5.0% in 2005 to 4.9% in 2010. It went from 12,863 votes out of 259,433 in 2005 to 13,763 votes out of 280,881 in 2010. So it got more votes but lost vote share due to higher turnout.
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