"Twelve angry old men of UKIP the Victor Meldrews of British Politics"

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 23rd Jun 2004

Commenting on the arrival in Brussels today of the twelve MEPs of the UK Independence Party, European Liberal Democrat leader Graham Watson MEP said:

"The twelve angry old men of UKIP seem determined to become the Victor Meldrews of British politics. With their ill-informed prejudices and their petty parochialism, they don't look or sound like the Britain I know."

"I am confident that over time the mass of internal contradictions in UKIP will come to the fore. They say they want to withdraw from the European Union but they will work with people who have no such agenda. They say they want to fight the misuse of public money in Europe, but they have not hesitated in the past to illegally divert public funds to fringe causes."

"They claim to stand up for Britain in the European Parliament but they cannot decide if they want to work the system or wreck it. You don't stand up for Britain in Europe by sitting on your hands. UKIP's record of absenteeism and abstention suggests they would rather pocket their allowances and run than stay and defend British interests."