- . UK Independence Party win 60 seats in early council election results
- . Farage says party has triumphed despite being 'abused' by main parties
- . Conservatives lose control in Lincolnshire after UKIP take 16 seats
- . Gloucestershire out of Tory control after Labour, UKIP and Lib Dem gains
- . Ousted Tory councillors attack 'arrogant, out of touch' government
- . Tory chairman Grant Shapps says 'we failed to get our message out'
- . Government planning benefit curbs for immigrants to win back support
David Cameron today said the Tories must 'respect' voters who deserted them to back the UK Independence Party.
As UKIP leader Nigel Farage enjoyed a lunchtime pint to toast big gains in local elections, the Prime Minister effectively withdrew his claim that they were a bunch of 'fruitcakes and racists' and was contrite about the need to understand why the anti-EU party had done so well.
Defeated Tories tore into Mr Cameron's 'out of touch' government for the losses, with Education Secretary Michael Gove taking to the airwaves to warn a challenge to the Prime Minister's leadership was 'bonkerooney'.
David Cameron today issued a contrite message that he would show UKIP voters 'respect' as their leader Nigel Farage toasted his success with a pint at the Marquis of Granby pub in Westminster
With results from 21 of 34 councils, the Tories are down 151 seats, with many switching to UKIP who have 60 new councillors
UKIP gains in dozens of councils cost the Tories seats, and control of at least two authorities.
With 21 out of 35 council election results declared so far, UKIP has gained 60 county council seats in England. UKIP won no seats when the same councils were fought in 2009.
'It is no good insulting a political party that people have chosen to vote for'
David Cameron on UKIP
The Tories are down 151 seats to 504, Labour up 114 to 215 and Lib Dems down 33 to 174.
Amid growing concern in Tory ranks about the direction of the party, Mr Cameron said: 'We need to show respect for people who have taken the choice to support this party and we are going to work really hard to win them back.'
It was a markedly different tone to his remarks in 2006 when he branded UKIP a 'bunch of fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists'.
The Prime Minister added: 'It is no good insulting a political party that people have chosen to vote for.'
'For the Conservatives I understand why some people who have supported us before didn’t support us again, they want us to do even more to work for hard-working people to sort out the issues they care about.
'More to help with the cost of living, more to turn the economy round, more to get immigration down, to sort out the welfare system. They will be our focus, they are our focus, but we have got to do more.'
UKIP claimed second place behind Labour in the South Shields parliamentary by-election, which saw the Tories pushed into third and the Lib Dems slumping to a humiliating seventh.
Mr Farage boasted that if a by-election came up in a marginal seat, ‘we have every chance of winning it’.
UKIP became the second largest party in Lincolnshire, winning 16 seats and depriving Conservatives of overall control.
''This wave of protest certainly isn't short-term - it's lasting. It sends a shockwave'
UKIP leader Nigel Farage
Among the UKIP winners in Lincolnshire were a mother and two daughters.
Sue Ransome, 61, and her daughters Felicity and Elizabeth Ransome, 27 and 26, gained three seats in elections in Boston.
The mother of four took the Boston East seat with 675 votes while Felicity took Boston Coastal with 826 votes and Elizabeth took Boston Fishtoft with 837 votes.
Her husband Ron stood for Boston South, along with their daughter Jodie Sutton, 36, in Boston Rural - both came second.
In Gloucestershire, the Tory group left the door open to a power-sharing coalition with UKIP to run the county council.
In Hampshire furious defeated Conservatives tore into the 'arrogant, out of touch' government whose failure to listen to voters had cost them their seats.
Mr Farage said the 'wave of protest' sweeping the country was long-lasting and predicted a UKIP MP in a marginal seat
Mr Farage, pictured having make-up applied before appearing on the BBC's election programme, toured TV studios to trumpet his election successes
Attacks on UKIP as a bunch of 'clowns' by the Tories backfired and helped to bolster support, Mr Farage claimed
Mr Farage predicted that the result in the South Shields by-election, where UKIP's Richard Elvin (right) came second, meant his party was on course to win its first seat in the Commons
Tory minister Ken Clarke last week branded UKIP’s politicians 'clowns' and some supporters racist.
But a delighted Mr Farage hit back, joking: 'Send in the clowns.'
He said a week of attacks on his candidates had failed to put people off backing his party.
HOW THE UKIP's COUNCIL GAINS STACKED UP ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Lincolnshire: 16 seats
Hampshire: 10
Essex: 9
Buckinghamshire: 6
Devon: 4
Gloucestershire: 3
Somerset: 3
Dorset: 1
'We’ve been abused by everybody, attacked by the entire establishment, who did their best to stop ordinary decent people from going out and voting UKIP and they have done in big, big numbers,' he told Sky News.
'At the end of today we are going to have a fair tally and it sends a shockwave, I think, through the establishment.'
Mr Farage said: ‘It's been a remarkable result for us. Numerically we're the third [party] because the Lib Dems are trailing behind.
'We have always done well in European elections... but people haven't seen us as being relevant to local elections or in some ways general elections.
‘So for us to be scoring, on average, 26 per cent of the vote where we stand is I think very significant indeed.’
A raft of bad publicity in recent days, including embarrassing revelations about UKIP candidates and policies which do not add up, seems to have done little to damage the party’s appeal.
Mr Farage added: ‘This wave of protest certainly isn't short-term - it's lasting.’
UKIP also picked up 10 seats in Hampshire, nine in Essex, three in Gloucestershire and three in Somerset
In Dorset, Ian Smith became UKIP's first ever councillor despite not campaigning or even turning up to the count.
His name did not appear on any leaflets, he does not own a UKIP rosette and only agreed to stand three weeks ago.
He only found out he had been elected by email this morning. 'My initial reaction was "my goodness!" I was shocked but I'm very happy,' he said.
Surprise win: Ian Smith celebrates winning a seat on Dorset County Council, despite not campaigning or even turning up to the count. He didn't even own a UKIP rosette
Winners: In Essex UKIP won nine seats on the county council, including three wards in the Basildon and Wickford districts taken by (left to right) Mark Ellis, Kerry Smith and Nigel Le Gresley
UKIP supporters celebrate after Colin Guyton (second right) wins a seat on Gloucestershire County Council
A distant relation of Guy Fawkes was among the UKIP winners. Retired headteacher Philip Fawkes and the would-be bomber shared a common ancestor in the Gunpowder Plotter's 15th century great-great-grandfather.
Mr Farage said it showed 'the blood of rebellion still runs in his veins'.
He won the South Waterside ward in Hampshire County Council, defeating Tory Alexis McEvoy, who pinned the blame on the Prime Minister.
'Clearly the message was to the government. I hope the government will listen because they never do,' she told the BBC.
'They are arrogant, out of touch and because of them good councillors have now been lost'
Tory Alexis McEvoy attacks government
'They are arrogant, out of touch and because of them good councillors have now been lost.'
The Prime Minister's promise of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European appears to have done little to persuade voters not to switch support to Mr Farage's party.
The Tories tried to put a brave face on the early results, knowing there could be worse yet to come.
Conservative chairman Grant Shapps said: ‘People have sent a message, we get it, we hear what people are saying, people are concerned that we get on with the big issues facing hard-working people in this country, like fixing the economy, sorting out the welfare system, helping hard-working people to get on.
‘There is a lot more to do, there's two years to go until the next election and in the end it will be a choice between whether you want Ed Balls and Ed Miliband, for Labour, in Downing Street or David Cameron trying to make sure that this country is always a place where hard-working people can get on.’
Results in Gloucestershire showed the Tories lost overall control, with UKIP, Labour and Lib Dems making gains
UKIP's early results exceeded early expectations, taking dozens of seats across the country
Gloucestershire was one of the few councils to complete counting overnight, with most results due from the rest of the country during the day
Celebrating: Labour candidate Emma Lewell-Buck (left) held the safe seat. UKIP's Richard Elvin who came second is picture standing in front of Lib Dem candidate Hugh Annand who slumped to seventh
But Mr Shapps is under pressure from Tory MPs who fear for their own seats if the party cannot see off the threat from UKIP.
The Lib Dems took a seat from the Tories in his own constituency of Welwyn Hatfield.
Overnight counts took place at seven authorities which were held by the Tories before the election, with Conservatives losing control of two.
Tory party chairman Grant Shapps said people had sent the government a message
As well as in Lincolnshire, they were ousted from overall control in Gloucestershire, where there were four gains for Labour and three for UKIP.
The Conservatives retained control in Dorset, Essex, Hampshire and - narrowly - Somerset, where they lost five seats and the Liberal Democrats lost four.
Ministers are preparing to use next week's Queen's Speech to set out new measures on welfare and immigration aimed at winning wooing voters who have switched to UKIP.
New laws will be set out to curb benefits for immigrants, amid concern about the impact of the influx of Romanians and Bulgarians when movement restrictions are lifted next year.
A Bill which will limit the right of immigrants to access benefits, the NHS and other public services will form a centrepiece of the coalition's programme.
Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes said his party would back the tougher measures, in stark contrast to the party's policy at the 2010 election to offer an amnesty to illegal immigrants.
Mr Cameron also hinted that he was ready to bring forward legislation on an in-out referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, despite opposition from the Lib Dems.
In an apparent attempt to appease his backbenchers and help neutralise the UKIP threat, Mr Cameron suggested he was open to the idea of legislation to convince voters he will keep his pledge to hold an in/out vote by 2018 if he stays in power.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, yesterday urged him to ‘ram home the message’ that he will call a referendum on Britain’s place in the EU by backing legislation that would enshrine his promise in law.
Mr Cameron was on constituency duties, as members of his party claimed he had failed to get his message across
Today Tory MPs warned Mr Cameron he had to respond strongly to the UKIP threat.
Conservative backbencher John Baron, who last month delivered a letter to Mr Cameron signed by 100 Conservative MPs calling for referendum legislation, said the results should be a 'wake up call' for the Government.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme the need for at least an attempt at legislation to reinforce the Prime Minister’s referendum pledge was reinforced by the poll.
Mr Baron said: 'I take the view UKIP are not simply a protest party. There are a lot of people in Ukip with genuine concerns.
'If you can deliver legislation in this Parliament, or at least show serious intent that if the Conservatives get in we will definitely have an in/out referendum in 2017, then my question to anyone is why would you bother voting for UKIP?'
Labour struggle with worse results than when Foot was leader
Labour leader Ed Miliband needed to prove that he could win in the south of England to live up to his One Nation slogan
Labour has made fewer gains than in county council elections when Michael Foot was leader, the Tories said today.
In 1981, Labour gained 41 per cent of the vote and almost 1,000 seats on councils across the country.
Two years later the party slumped the party slumped to its worst result in post-war history.
Labour leader Ed Miliband staked his One Nation slogan on making big gains in the local elections.
He toured the country addressing high street crowds from a wooden pallet, saying he was doing politics 'in a different way'.
Polling experts Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher predicted Labour would gain 350 seats. But with 28 councils declared, the party was only up by 185 councillors.
It also failed to win back control of key authorities including Lancashire, Staffordshire and Cumbria.
Tory Educaton Secretary Michael Gove said: 'When he was leader of the opposition in 1981, Labour won Staffordshire, won Cumbria.
'They are not winning them now. What's really striking is no-one is voting for Labour in anything like the numbers they need to have.'
A Labour source said: 'It's the most ludicrous comparison I have heard.'
Early analysis by the Labour party
Lib Dems: Where we don't have MPs we have been obliterated
Lib Dem president Tim Farron (left) said UKIP voters had to be treated with 'respect' while Lib Dem home office minister Jeremy Browne said voters wanted politics to be done differently
The Lib Dems claimed to be making gains against the Tories in the south, but performed woefully in areas where they do not have a sitting MP.
Tim Farron, the Lib Dem president, said his party had been 'obliterated' in the South Shields by-election.
He told BBC Radio : 'The Westminster battleground seats are where it’s at, and for the Lib Dems South Shields is one extreme, where we’ve got little strength on the ground and we got obliterated.
'And then you look at other places like Cheltenham, Taunton, Eastbourne, hopefully Westland and places like mid Dorset where we’ve got to win at the next election and we’re doing extremely well. And most of our battles are against the Tories, and against the Tories we’re doing extremely well.'
He added that people who have back UKIP must be treated with 'respect'.
'You don’t dismiss them by writing them off as loonies. The people who vote UKIP are decent people, moderate-minded people who are angry.
'I think they may well not like what the Coalition Government is doing and they also blame Labour as well, in part at least, for the mess that we are in.'
But Lib Dem home office minister Jeremy Browne said the rise of UKIP, under Mr Farage's relaxed leadership, was a reaction to the way the main parties have carried out politics in Britain.
'I think there is a wider sense among people voting UKIP that the way that politics has been done in this country, and the style of politics is something that people are railing against.
'And I think that there are some people who are uncomfortable with some policy direction as well.'
He attacked the victory speech of Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck as the 'most stage-managed, inauthentic political display'.
Labour's Norma Redfearn ousted incumbent Tory Linda Arkley in the battle to be mayor of North Tyneside.
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