ON a weekend where UKIP held its Welsh conference, hoping to build on European election success and target Labour seats, Welsh Labour came out fighting - launching their own campaign from Barry.

In what Labour says is a campaign to expose UKIP's lesser known policies, an advertising van featuring Nigel Farage's face alongside his "I am a Thatcherite" quote was driven around Barry.

In addition Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Owen Smith MP and the Vale's Labour candidate Councillor Chris Elmore took to the streets of Barry to promote their anti-UKIP warning.

The van was also driven into neighbouring Penarth where UKIP recently opened an office amid protests. UKIP recently announced that independent Sully councillor Kevin Mahoney will be there candidate in the Vale for next May's election.

Standing outside Barry's Sea View Labour Club on Dock View Road, Mr Smith said: "They are a party led by bankers who's principle concerns are for the wealthy people of Britain. They want to increase bankers bonuses, they want to cut taxes for the wealthiest, they want to privatise the NHS.

"These are not the priorities of the working people here in Barry, in Wales or anywhere else in Britain. UKIP now need to expect this degree of scrutiny and exposure."

Talking about the "Thatcherite" advertising van, he explained that the reference was not just to how Farage has described himself but to the nature of UKIP's policies.

"If you look at their policies they are basically hard-right Thatcherite policies," he said. "I don't think there is any nostalgia for Thatcher in south Wales.

"We remember the damage that was done to our communities by her and her government in the 80's and 90s and people need to be reminded that she is the hero for a bloke who's leading a party that now purports to represent working people."

He went on to say that another aim of the campaign was to make sure that voters in Barry understand what they are voting for if they choose UKIP next May.

"I think UKIP are going to be a feature of the election, I think we'd be fools not to acknowledge that UKIP are going to get votes," he said.

"But if they're going to get votes they need to get votes from people who fully understand what they're all about.

"It's not a protest vote it's a vote for a hard right party and if that's what you want, if you want the NHS privatised, if you want fewer maternity rights and right to sick pay - things they have pledged to get rid of - then they are the party for you."

He added that UKIP's desire to pull out of Europe should also be viewed as potentially "massively damaging" for working people.

"Dow Corning, down the road here," he said. "Would that be there if we weren't in Europe? I'm not so sure."