UK Independence Party

The UK Independence Party, commonly known as UKIP, is a right wing political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1993 by members of the Anti-Federalist League with the primary objective of securing the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. The party describes itself as a "patriotic" and "democratic, libertarian party" and is widely regarded as Eurosceptic and right-wing populist. The party is led by Nigel Farage, with deputy leader Paul Nuttall. UKIP has two Members of Parliament, three representatives in the House of Lords and twenty-four Members of the European Parliament, making it the largest UK party in the European Parliament. In October 2014, UKIP reported a membership of over 40,000. The party made its first significant breakthroughs in the 2013 local elections, when it came fourth in the number of council seats won and third in nationwide vote share, and in the 2014 European elections when UKIP received the most votes, the first time for over a century that a party other than Labour or the Conservatives has won a United Kingdom wide election.