Nigel Farage: UKIP will win seats in Scottish Parliament

UKIP will perform in elections next year, including the Scottish Parliament election in May, because of proportional representation, the party’s leader Nigel Farage has said.

Speaking to his party’s conference in Doncaster, the MEP said UKIP was “alive and well” after only securing one MP in the General Election.

“We will maintain our position as the only UK party with elected representation in all four corners of the United Kingdom," he said, referring to the fact both Scotland and Wales elected UKIP MEPs.

The party has councillors in Northern Ireland.

Farage said UKIP could be proud of its performance at the General Election, but it had been affected by “fear of that woman north of the border”, meaning First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, he said, is “a once in a lifetime opportunity to get back the independence and self-governance of this nation”, predicting Eurosceptics can win the vote, which will be held by 2018.