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Tories the biggest by-election losers

This week political commentators have been having a laugh at the expense of Italian voters for giving more than half their votes to "two clowns": Beppe Grillo and Silvio Berlusconi.

Now they have turned their humour on Eastleigh where 11,571 voters (27.8%) came amazingly close to making Diane James Britain's first Ukip MP.

Though leaving the EU and reversing immigration may be the UK Independence Party's key policies, it also endorses a 40% rise in defence spending, doubling the number of prison places, tax discs for bicycles and a £90 billion programme for building nuclear power stations. Avowedly sceptical about man-made climate change, it would radically roll back renewable energy projects and invest instead in shale gas. Ukip also backs independence for Taiwan, which might not help the UK's burgeoning trade with China. Its extravagant spending plans would be funded apparently entirely from savings resulting from leaving the EU, regardless of the fact that countries like Norway pay through the nose for ongoing access to EU markets. Little wonder the party has never gained any traction in Scotland.

Contextual targeting label: 
Local government

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