Ukip not even contemplating a Farage loss
“I’m not even contemplating Nigel Farage losing his seat,” a senior Ukip spokesman has just told me. “No votes have been counted yet.”
True, it’s a long way to go, but figures in both the Conservatives and Ukip are saying the Tory Craig Mackinlay (a former Ukip leader himself) is set to win South Thanet.
The big question then will be whether Nigel Farage will fulfill his promise to stand down as Ukip leader if he doesn’t become an MP. I imagine there’s be a fair clamour from Ukip members for him to change his mind.
Farage couldn’t hide annoyance with the Sun and the Mail when he turned up to the local Ukip party a couple of hours ago. But he could argue that tonight is a brilliant result in many ways.
In votes, Ukip are now the third party in British politics, and look set to hold second place in many seats, especially Labour seats in the North. To go from roughly 3 per cent of the vote to around ten per cent is a remarkable achievement.