Volatile voters make elections too close to call

PLYMOUTH voters go to the polls today in European Parliament elections that are expected to be among the most unpredictable on record.

Sixteen political parties and one independent are contesting the six seats for the South West UK and Gibraltar in the European Parliament.

The South West sent seven MEPs to Strasbourg in 2004.

This year will see a game of musical chairs among the main parties as the region loses one of its seats.

Four sitting MEPs will be fighting to hold on to their seats: Giles Chichester led a three-strong Conservative group from the South West in the last Parliament, but his colleagues Neil Parish and Dr Caroline Jackson are standing down.

In 2004 the UK Independence Party (UKIP) formed the second largest South West party with two MEPs.

Only Trevor Colman remains, though the party is hoping for a boost from the expenses scandal.

Glyn Ford, the long-serving Labour MEP, leads his party's pro-Europe slate.

Liberal Democrat Graham Watson, who leads the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), is standing for election again and hopes to become President of the European Parliament.

MEPs are elected by proportional representation, so these four are probably unlikely to be unseated.

They face a strong challenge for the remaining seats from the Green Party headed by Ricky Knight.

Katie Hopkins, the outspoken former star of 'The Apprentice', is hoping to be elected as an Independent from a list of 89 candidates in the South West.

The political turmoil makes it difficult to forecast the result and could produce "the most volatile voting patterns in living memory".

A report this week by think-tank Democratic Audit said that conventional opinion polls could be misleading.

Think-tank director Dr Stuart Wilks-Heeg said: "This promises to be one of the most unusual elections we have ever seen."

Plymouth City Council is not holding elections this year, but residents on the city fringes will also be voting in the Cornwall Council and Devon County Council elections.

The Liberal Democrats are confident of retaining their grip on both councils, although the Devon Conservatives have been campaigning all-out in the hopes of overturning a small majority.

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