Mark Reckless regains seat following victory in Rochester and Strood by-election

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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U.K. Independence Party MP Mark Reckless has regained his seat through a victory in the Rochester and Strood by-election, providing the party its second seat in British Parliament.

 The former Conservative won 16,867 votes for his new party, beating his former party with a margin of 2,920 votes. Kelly Tolhurst took 13,947 for the Conservatives, while Naushabah Khan received 6,713 for Labour. 

Previously, MP Douglas Carswell, who also defected from the Tory party, was the first elected UKIP MP. Now Mr Reckless has joined him on Friday after winning second seat for his new party.

After the Conservative defector held the southeast England constituency for UKIP on Friday with 42 per cent votes, party leader Nigel Farage has revealed that the party’s campaigning apparatus is up to the job of fighting a national election, as well as winning individual by-elections.

Mr Farage has said: “Our intention is to roll out this kind of campaign in all our target seats.

“Can we do this in a few dozen seats or whatever the number may be? I think we can.”

Mr Farage has also shown willingness to demand a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU next summer as a condition of entering a coalition with any other party with the biggest number of MPs following the General Election and in case of not reaching any deal on the issue, party would refuse to partner up with anyone.

UKIP leader has said: “The only thing that would make us want to cooperate with anyone after election is a referendum before the summer recess next year.”

The anti-European Union and anti-immigration party have been seen as a force rising rapidly in the recent times and posing a major threat to prospects of the two prominent U.K. political parties including Mr Cameron’s Tories and the opposition Labour Party, led by Ed Miliband.

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