Rotherham now Westminster target for UKIP

Paul Brand: Political Correspondent

The interesting thing about local elections is that they tell us lots of (often misleading, but sometimes useful) things about the general election. And what Rotherham's results tell us is that there's a real chance UKIP could get an MP there.

When you analyse the results from each ward (as we political geeks love to), they show incredible support for UKIP in a town where Labour have long dominated politics. Not only have UKIP won 10 out of 21 seats up for election, the ones they lost were close.

In one ward, Labour won by just 3 votes. And across the board, where UKIP 'lost', it wasn't much of a loss at all. For a party that only elected its first councillor in Rotherham last year, they were constantly chasing Labour's tail - regularly just a few dozen votes in it.

That means next year it could be neck and neck between Labour and UKIP in Rotherham. People often vote differently in a general election, but the local election result will surely see UKIP pour considerable resources into the fight. In a town where Labour has often ruled virtually unopposed, a bit of competition could cause some excitement in 2015.