Poll: One in Three Tories Will Switch to UKIP for European Elections

One in three former Conservative Party voters will opt for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in May’s upcoming European elections, according to a new poll from the Sunday Telegraph.

The ICM national polling has revealed that UKIP is likely to finish a strong second place behind the Labour Party, while the Conservative languish at a distant third. One in three 2010 Conservative voters intend to vote UKIP, while one in five have said they will vote for an opposition party or simply not vote.

While Labour polls at 30 percent, UKIP at 27, and the Tories on 22, the Liberal Democrats, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, currently stand on just eight points – a position that would land them with two Members of the European Parliament if they are lucky.

Thirty-seven percent of former Conservative voters said they would be switching their vote to UKIP on May 22nd.

The Telegraph reports:

One in three voters who backed the Tories four years ago – 37 per cent – now say that they plan to vote for Nigel Farage’s UK Independence Party in the European elections on May 22, among those who intend to turn-out.

Mr Farage’s support is greatest among the over 65s, with four in 10 of those backing the party falling into the pensioner age range.

Martin Boon, head of ICM Research, said: “This speaks volumes about the nature of politics at the present time. Ukip really are the convenient mid-cycle opportunity to kick the ruling classes.

“People are honing in on them when it is easy and convenient to do so in a second order election which they don’t really care about.

“Immigration is obviously something that is important to people but it is a distant second, and only 24 per cent of people mention the question of Europe which is Ukip’s central proposition.”

But it seems that not even a change in the Conservative Party’s leadership could help them right now, with voters indicating that the alternatives, Boris Johnson, Teresa May, and George Osborne as the same as, if not less desirable than David Cameron.

Analysts also noted how Nigel Farage’s party is unlikely to have as much of an impact at the General Election next year, where voters naturally, tribally return to the mainstream parties.