Exclusive: Ukip to hold spring conference in Nigel Farage’s target seat, Margate
Ukip will hold its spring conference in Margate’s winter gardens next February, its economics spokesman told City A.M. yesterday. He added that Ukip had built “the strongest team in years” to fight the election and aimed to beat the Lib Dems on vote share.
The location of the conference, so close to the seat Ukip leader Nigel Farage will fight for in 2015, is an indication of how vital it is to the party that Farage becomes an MP. The seat, currently held by Conservative MP Laura Sandys who is stepping down at the election, is a key marginal with Ukip, the Tories and Labour all vying for electoral success.
Speaking exclusively to City A.M. yesterday, MEP and economics spokesman Patrick O’Flynn said Ukip would be “terribly disappointed” if the party did not beat the Liberal Democrats on vote share in the 2015.
“The Lib Dems are currently on six per cent and we’re on about 17,” he said. “The number of winnable seats that we might have had in mind in July is much lower than the number that we’re focused on now.
“If we were to win 100 seats that would be a seismic political event, that would be at the top end of the scale for us. If we were to win 100 seats that would mean we were very close to winning another 100, too.”