The results from last week's European elections have been released, with UKIP coming first in the South West. The party received 484,184 votes, followed by the Conservatives with 433,151, Labour with 206,124 and the Green Party with 166,447.
In Bath and North East Somerset, the Conservatives were first with 13,751, followed by UKIP, 12,513, the Green Party, 8,210, Labour, 7,591 and Lib-Dems, 7,106. There was a 38.5% turnout. In Mendip, Conservatives were first with 9,484, UKIP 8,995, Lib-Dems, 4,867, Green Party, 4,656, and Labour, fifth with 2,849.
Overall, it was a disastrous night for the Lib-Dems, who lost all but one of their twelve MEPs, including Sir Graham Watson, who has been a Lib-Dem MEP since 1994. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "Clearly we have suffered from being in Government. We have had to make difficult and unpopular decisions. There is also the fact we have seen an anti-European vote. The combination of these two factors has hit us hard."
The new South West MEPs are: William Dartmouth and Julia Reid (UKIP), Ashley Fox and Julie Girling (Conservative), Clare Moody (Labour) and Dr Molly Scott Cato (Green Party). These MEPs represent Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and British overseas territory, Gibraltor.
This is reportedly the first time that a national vote has not been won by either Conservatives or Labour in more than a century, with parties claiming UKIP's success due to protest votes against the European Union. However, speaking this week, Labour's newly-elected MEP, Clare Moody, said: "We are pleased with the result, but there are lessons for us to learn from this set of elections. UKIP doing well here mirrors what we have seen emerge across the whole of Europe over the last couple of days.
"I don't think this is about Europe, this is about the discontent that people are feeling with politics generally, but also the economy and being told everything is on the up, but yet not personally feeling it. People are left wondering what on earth anyone is doing for them.
Dr Molly Scott Cato has made history by becoming the first Green Party MEP for the South West. She said: "It is fantastic that the South West now has a Green voice in Europe. I would like to thank everyone who voted Green on Thursday and I am looking forward to representing the South West in Brussels.
"The Greens are the only party with a clear and positive message on EU reform, which I think was attractive to voters and translated into this result. Our 'people before profit' policies have really resonated with voters, who have been looking for a viable alternative party which truly represents their values."
As results came in across England, Scotland and Wales, UKIP will have 24 MEPs, almost double the seats won in 2009, Labour will have twenty MEPs, followed by the Tories with nineten, Greens with three and Lib-Dems, one.