The coalition government in Britain was dealt a major byelection blow today as the Liberal Democrats finished a woeful sixth place and the Tories were overtaken by the UK Independence Party (Ukip).
In a humiliating result for deputy prime minister Nick Clegg in Barnsley Central, his party finished behind not only Labour and the Conservatives but also Ukip, the British National Party and a local independent.
There was also embarrassment for Prime Minister David Cameron as the Tories saw their vote share slump dramatically and the anti-European Ukip beat them into third.
Labour cruised as expected to a resounding victory in what is one of the party’s safest seats.
Newly elected MP Dan Jarvis, a former army major, increased Labour’s majority to 11,093 despite a much lower turnout than in last May’s general election. Only 36.5 per cent of registered voters cast their ballots, down from 56.45 per cent last year.
The Lib Dems - whose candidate Dominic Carman lost his deposit after securing a meagre 4.18 per cent vote share - admitted they had been given a “kicking”.
Party president Tim Farron said: “It was a poor result for us. It was a poor result for the Tories. The coalition parties didn’t do very well here. Surprise, surprise.”
“Dan Jarvis will be a good MP, I’m sure, and it would be churlish not to congratulate him. But perhaps the biggest story is that 70 per cent of people didn’t think it was worth bothering.”
Ukip leader Nigel Farage said the result marked a major shift in the electoral landscape with the Lib Dems losing their status as the established third party. “This marks a big change for us. We are now the voice of opposition in British politics. The Lib Dems have lost that mantle,” he said.
Mr Jarvis - a former member of the Parachute Regiment who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan - said Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg were paying the price for their “reckless policies”.
“The people of Barnsley Central are sending the strongest possible message to David Cameron and Nick Clegg,” he said in his acceptance speech. Your reckless policies, your broken promises and your unfair cuts are letting our country down."
The byelection was caused by the resignation of Eric Illsley, the Labour MP who was jailed for 12 months in February for expenses fraud.
PA