Sceptics' success puts Howard under fresh pressure

Michael Howard the Tory leader, will come under pressure to toughen party policy on Europe after seeing the UK Independence Party make major inroads into its support.

Although the party received the largest share of the vote nationally, it was a mixed set of results for the opposition. With support falling to less than 30 per cent - down from the 36 per cent gained by the party in previous Euro-elections - it illustrated the mountain the Tories have to climb to win the next election.

A combination of cuts in numbers of seats and UKIP's success led to the Tories losing one MEP in each of the Eastern Region, London, the South-east, the South-west and Yorkshire and the Humber.

That took some of the shine off the Tories' successes in the local council elections last week, which saw them win control of several areas, including Trafford, Swindon, Eastbourne and Brentwood.

The European election results will strengthen the hand of Tory right-wingers pressing for the party to take a more Eurosceptic stance at the next election.

The Tory deputy leader Michael Ancram said the result of this election reflected public disillusion with the European Union. He said: "The message to Tony Blair before he goes to Brussels this week to negotiate again on the constitution is that the British people are very concerned and suspicious about what is happening in Europe."

But the shadow environment secretary Caroline Spelman insisted that the party's position would remain unchanged. She said: "We want to remain in Europe. We'd like to see a more flexible Europe, less bureaucratic, less red tape.

"But that is very definitely the middle position, the centre ground, and I think that is the right place to be."

The pro-European former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke said: "To start chasing after Robert Kilroy-Silk's vote would be a complete disaster.

"The great thing I would say is: 'For heaven's sake, don't panic in the face of a protest vote in the European elections at a time when a lot of the population are in a mood to protest against the state of politics anyway.'"

The Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt admitted that they faced another "disappointing" night but insisted the results were even worse for the Tories. "We have always known that there's a minority of the British people who are adamantly against the EU and would like Britain to come out," she said.

"But that poses a huge strategic problem for the Conservative Party. Do they go on becoming more and more Eurosceptic, pandering to the UKIP in order to shore up that part of their vote? It is the Conservative Party for whom this result looks like a disaster."