A Survation poll has put Ukip support at the next general election on 23 percent, a mere seven points behind the Conservatives, and just eleven behind the Labour Party. The poll was conducted online on Friday on behalf of the Daily Mail to ascertain the popular response to the results of the Scottish referendum on independence, which was held last Thursday.
In response to the question “If there was a General Election taking place tomorrow, and there was a candidate from all political parties standing in your constituency, which party do you think you would vote for?” 198 people identified Ukip as their party of choice. Meanwhile just 7 percent opted for the Liberal Democrats, who are currently Britain’s third party by number of Westminster seats.
Regionally, Ukip did best in the Midlands where they polled nearly 31 percent of the vote, more than any other party. Labour were narrowly behind them in that region, with the Conservatives trailing in third place.
And in London, it was Labour who was pushed into third place behind the Conservatives and Ukip. The working class boroughs of London have traditionally been Labour strongholds, and the party currently holds the majority of London’s 76 constituencies, with 38 Labour MPs calling London ‘home’. There are also 28 Conservative MPs in the city and seven Liberal Democrats. Ukip will be hoping for a win in particular in the currently Labour held constituency of Dagenham and Rainham in the east of London; they are also challenging the outspoken Labour Member of Parliament Margaret Hodge in the neighbouring constituency of Barking.
The party was a full 15 points ahead of the Conservatives in Wales, so may we well placed to challenge Labour Parliamentarians in so-called ‘safe seats’, who up until now have had no serious opposition.
The poll will be welcome news ahead of the by-election in Clacton, due to take place on the 9th October between Conservative defector Douglas Carswell and Conservative challenger Giles Watling, a former soap star. The other parties will also be entering candidates but are not expected to commit much by way of resources to the election battle.
Douglas Carswell is a very popular MP locally, and is well liked by many conservative thinkers and activists in both parties. If he wins re-election on the 9th he will be Ukip’s first elected Member of Parliament in Westminster.
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