Ukip will 'shake up' British politics in 2014, says Nigel Farage It contrasts with dwindling grassroots support for the Conservatives and Labour. Conservative constituency membership has almost halved since David Cameron became leader in 2005 - from 253,600 to just 134,000. And while Labour's membership rose significantly when Ed Miliband became leader and remains above its 2009 level, it has steadily slipped back to 187,537. The Liberal Democrats said rise in new members in the final quarter of the year was proof of a "feel good factor." However, its total of around 43,000 remains more than a third lower than the 65,000-plus levels it enjoyed before joining the Conservatives in coalition government in 2010. A think-tank in September warned that the Conservatives could have fewer members than Ukip within five years unless the Tory leadership fixes its "broken" relationship with grassroots activists. The Bow Group warned that the Tory party could cease to exist altogether within a quarter of a century if the trend continues. Mr Farage also used his article to hit out at the Government's "intolerable" immigration policies and said it will lead to a surge of votes for his party in May's European Parliament elections. He said that David Cameron's failure to tackle European Union immigration is "asphalt on the road to lower wages, poverty and unemployment" for British people. Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, this week warned that voting for Ukip could derail Britain's economic recovery because businesses could stop investing in the UK. Mr Farage said: "I shall continue to push for an EU exit, and far from the scare stories put about by the three old parties that he UK will become isolated, If we leave the EU we'll be free; free from EU legislation, from EU taxes, and Euro induced recessions. In the next year, the UK can become a beacon of light and democracy in a Europe that is falling into democratic darkness and economic recession.