UKIP wins first elected parliamentary seat

UKIP gains first elected parliamentary seat

The UK Independence Party has gained its first elected MP, with Douglas Carswell taking the seat of Clacton by 12,404 votes in a by-election.

The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is a Euroskeptic  right-wing populist party that advocates Britain leaving the EU.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said this had "shaken up British politics".

In the night's other by-election, UKIP made significant gains in the constituencies of Heywood and Middleton, however Labour succeeded in holding on to their majority.

Farage said UKIP's second place in Heywood and Middleton was "even more significant" than its win in Clacton, as the party was “now the main opposition to Labour in northern cities.”

The Conservative Party has described the result in Clacton was a "wake-up call", while Labour said they would continue to "take on" UKIP.

The prospect of UKIP winning more than a handful of the 650 seats May’s national election is slight, but its growing success threatens to make it harder for any one party to win an outright majority. This makes a hung parliament more likely and with it, another coalition government and political instability in the world's sixth largest economy.

The election of a UKIP representative to parliament is also expected to increase pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron to become less EU friendly. Cameron has promised to hold a referendum on European Union membership if re-elected.

Addressing the people of his constituency, Carswell said: "I resigned from parliament to face this election because I answer first, foremost and last to you. You are my boss. I will not let you down.

He also addressed the party's prospects on a wider front, saying "we must be a party for all Britain and all Britons: first and second generation as much as every other".

Labour has promised to continue to "expose UKIP for what they are".

"We will take them on in our areas", he said.