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Tories and Labour wiped out as Brexit Party win South West MEPs
Brexit Party's Anne Widdecombe (centre) laughs as results come in. Picture: Ben Birchall/PA Wire - Credit: PA
The Brexit Party is celebrating major success in the European elections in the South West, as the Conservatives and UKIP suffered heavy losses.
Nigel Farage's newly-formed political group - promising to get the UK out of the European Union (EU) after almost three years of failed negotiations - won three of the six MEP seats up for grabs.
Ann Widdecombe, James Glancy and Christina Jordan will represent The Brexit Party in Brussels.
Remain-supporting Liberal Democrats performed much better than in 2014, securing two MEPs too, with Caroline Voaden and Martin Horwood being elected.
The remaining MEP spot went to the Green Party's Molly Scott Cato who was re-elected.
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But it was a damaging night for the Conservatives and UKIP.
Both went into Thursday's vote with two MEPs, but polls suggested the chances of them repeating their 2014 success appeared slim.
The Government's failure to deliver Brexit thus far, which has put paid to Theresa May's premiership and was blamed by North Somerset Conservatives for their defeat in the local council elections, saw the Tories' share of the vote slump from 29 to just eight per cent.
MORE: Why it is too simple to blame Brexit for North Somerset Council results - comment.
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Labour also lost its only MEP for the South West
In North Somerset, the Brexit Party secured 23,388 ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 14,853.
The Green Party came third with more than 10,000 votes, beating the Conservatives and Labour into fourth and fifth.
In Sedgemoor, The Brexit Party enjoyed huge success, winning 45 per cent of the vote, having chosen overwhelmingly to leave in 2016.
The Liberal Democrats came second, ahead of the Green Party, Conservatives and Labour.
