With opinion polls turning in the party’s favour, UKIP launched its manifesto confident of securing representation for in the National Assembly for the first time. Only a few weeks after voters chose to extend the powers in the Assembly, party leader Nigel Farrage talked about his plans to “renew the Welsh Assembly” and “remove the Assembly Member that are overpaid and underemployed.”
In Wales, the party pledges to keep open primary schools with at least 20 pupils, and introduce elections to local health boards. They also pledge to reduce immigration by securing Britain’s borders, and continue with their aim of removing the UK from the European Union. Promoting more use of nuclear energy, they would ban any planned future onshore wind farms, as well as dismantling existing ones.
UKIP only secured 4.6% of the vote in the 2001 elections. Although they failed to win a seat, they did gain some ground in Wales, and put them on course to win seats in the next Assembly election.