European election results 2019: Brexit Party vow to take on Tories and Labour in general election as Tommy Robinson and UKIP obliterated
Labour hints at supporting second referendum as Liberal Democrats win Remain voters
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Your support makes all the difference.Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party has claimed victory in the European parliamentary elections, taking 29 seats and topping the poll in ten of the UK's 11 regions.
On a grim night for the Conservatives and Labour, the pro-EU Liberal Democrats emerged as the other big winners, with leader Sir Vince Cable saying it was “proof that the Lib Dems are the biggest, strongest voice of Remain”.
Theresa May said it was a "very disappointing night" for the Conservatives and once again urged MPs to find a solution to the Brexit crisis.
"Some excellent MEPs have lost their seats, some excellent candidates missed out," she said.
"But Labour have also suffered big losses. It shows the importance of finding a Brexit deal, and I sincerely hope these results focus minds in Parliament"
Boris Johnson, widely considered the frontrunner in the race to replace Ms May, said voters had delivered the Conservative party with a "final warning".
He urged his colleagues to deliver Brexit and "deliver Brexit and set out our positive plans for the country."
At the same time Labour edged closer to support for a second Brexit referendum, after voters in Remain strongholds deserted the party and voted for the Liberal Democrats.
In early-morning messages after seeing the party slump to third place with a 14 per cent share of the vote, both Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell said that the issue of EU withdrawal must be put to a public vote – which could come in a general election or a Final Say referendum.
Mr McDonnell tweeted: “Can’t hide from hit we took last night. Bringing people together when there’s such a divide was never going to be easy. Now we face prospect of Brexiteer extremist as Tory leader and threat of no deal, we must unite our party and country by taking issue back to people in a public vote.”
If you would like to see how the EU election results night unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below:
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon defended Labour's strategy even though "it was never going to work" in the election.
He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I think the message of trying to bring people together who voted Remain and Leave is the right message.
"It was never going to work in this kind of low-turnout EU election where the people most interested in this important issue of Brexit, whether it is to Remain or Leave, came out to vote. A general election would be very different."
He also tells Radio 4's Today programme says a "damaging, dangerous, no-deal Brexit" is becoming more and more likely due to changes at the top of the Conservative Party.
Burgon says he also cannot make up policy and that it is "democratically decided".
The European parliament elections have seen a “green wave” sweep the continent, campaigners claimed, as environment-focused politicians surged in popularity – and in the UK, beat the ruling Conservative Party into fifth place.
As the Tories suffered their worst-ever national poll results, the Green Partyleapfrogged them with more than 2 million votes – or 12.1 per cent – and closed in on Labour, in their best showing since 1989.
The remain-backing party more than doubled its tally of MEPs, from three to seven.
Jo Swinson - the Lib Dem deputy leader - says the election result showed Labour needed to "get off the fence", adding: "Clearly Labour has had an atrocious night and absolutely needs to get off the Brexit fence.
"I spoke to so many former Labour voters, people in some cases who had voted Labour their entire lives, who voted Liberal Democrat for the first time on Thursday.
"We have really been bringing people together as the Liberal Democrats - to be able to get Michael Heseltine and Alistair Campbell united in the voting booth is no mean feat."
Sajid Javid, the shadow home secretary who is expected to run for the Tory leader, has responded to the European election results, saying: "Hugely disappointing results - but this is a verdict on our delivery of Brexit.
"There's a clear lesson: people want us to get on with it. Not another election or referendum if changed their mind.
"We'll need to unite as a party to deliver that. There are no other options."
Conservative minister Nadhim Zahawi tells Radio 4's Today programme: "It's not an election we wanted to have - It is the worst result in our party's history in elections"
The minister adds the results should act as a "wake up call" for the party to deliver on Brexit. He dismisses calls for a general election, claiming there is no majority in parliament for such a route.
John McDonnell has just posted a tweet in reaction to the results last night in what is a significant intervention. The shadow chancellor appears to be unequivocally backing a second referendum after the party's disastrous results in the European elections.
Ukip's leader has lost his seat at the European Parliament elections, in the latest blow for the disintegrating eurosceptic party.
Gerard Batten has held his seat in London for a decade but was defeated on Sunday night after his voters switched over to the Brexit Party.
The party lost all of its MEPs as its vote share collapsed to only 3.3 per cent nationally after Nigel Farage’s new breakaway group came top of the polls.
Labour is edging closer to support for a second Brexit referendum, after a drubbing at the European Parliament elections which saw Remain voters desert them for Liberal Democrats and Greens.
In early-morning messages after seeing the party slump to a 14 per cent share of the vote, both Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell said that the issue of EU withdrawal must be put to a public vote - which could come in a general election or a Final Say referendum.
Notably, neither mentioned Labour's alternative Brexit deal, which has previously been presented as a preferable option to a second referendum.
Here's where the party stands after 10 out of 12 regions' declarations in the European Parliament elections
Sadiq Khan - the London mayor - has responded to the election results after Labour was pushed into second place in the capital. "This was an extremely disappointing EU election result for Labour," he says. "With the PM having resigned & parliament in gridlock it's crystal clear what must happen now: the British public must be given the final say, with the option of staying in the EU."
He also repeats his call for Article 50 to be revoked in order to "stop the clock ticking down" to a no-deal scenario.
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