A UK Conservative MP has defected to the UK Independence Party, formally resigning from the main ruling coalition party and prompting a by-election in his home constituency. “I’m joining UKIP!” MP Mark Reckless announced to a standing ovation at the UKIP party conference, which took place in Doncaster on Saturday. The 43-year-old Rochester and Strood MP, a former investment banker elected to... 

The British National Party achieved its most significant electoral breakthrough last night when it won two seats in the European Parliament. In a result that hands the far-right party an international platform, Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, clinched a seat in the North West and the party also gained a MEP in Yorkshire and the Humber. The party had capitalised on the expenses furore during the...