UK’s anti-EU party hits new high ahead of Europe vote

LONDON — Voter support for Britain’s anti-European Union UK Independence Party (UKIP) is at a record high according to one opinion poll on Sunday, reflecting a wider pattern of growing support for the party ahead of European elections next month.

The rising popularity of UKIP, which calls for an immediate withdrawal from the EU and tighter immigration laws, threatens to split the vote for Prime Minister David Cameron at European parliament elections in May and a national election in 2015.

UKIP’s profile has been raised by the upcoming European elections on May 22, when polls suggest it could beat Cameron’s party into third place. A ComRes poll of voting intentions for next year’s national election put UKIP on 20 per cent — up four per centage points at their highest in the four-year history of the poll. Cameron’s Conservatives fell three points to 29 per cent.

The main opposition Labour party were steady on 35 per cent while the Liberal Democrats, junior partners in the coalition government, sank 2 per centage points to a new low of 7 per cent.

A second poll by Opinium on Sunday showed UKIP three per centage points higher on 18 per cent, and another survey released last week by gave the party 15 per cent - matching its highest ever rating in polls conducted by Ipsos Mori.