UKIP gains second elected MP after Mark Reckless wins Rochester and Strood by-election

Mark Reckless is UKIP’s second elected MP at Westminster after he won the Rochester and Strood by-election.

17:12 21 November 2014

UKIP has its second elected MP at Westminster after Mark Reckless won the Rochester and Strood by-election.

He said: "The people of Rochester and Strood have spoken. I felt I had to ask their permission"

Mr Reckless beat Conservative Kelly Tollhurst and Labour’s Naushabah Khan after getting 16,867 votes ahead of the Green Party. Meanwhile, the Lib Dems came fifth with their lowest vote total in a by-election.

Meanwhile, BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson said that UKIP have proven yet again that it has what it takes to beat the entire Conservative party machine.

However, Conservative Leader of the House of Commons, William Hague is hopeful saying that the results had "improved and strengthened during the campaign".

On the other hand, UKIP leader Nigel Farage dismissed reports saying that the UKIP result could be construed as a protest vote against the current government.

He also said he does not believe that voters would return to the larger parties in the general election. "If you vote UKIP, you get UKIP" and "people out there who vote UKIP intend to stay UKIP".