COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

The Conservatives are on course to win the Newark by-election after extending their lead over Ukip, according to a new poll.



The poll commissioned by Lord Ashcroft, the former Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, found that the Tories lead Ukip by 42 per cent to 27 per cent, with Labour trailing third with 20 per cent.

However, support for the Tories has fallen by 12 per cent since the general election while Ukip has gained 23 percentage points.

A national poll by Lord Ashcroft found that Labour has extended its lead over the Conservatives in the past week, with 34 per cent of the vote against 25 per cent.

The Liberal Democrats hit a record low in the national poll under the Coalition with just 6 per cent of the vote in the wake of their wipeout in the Europaen elections.

The polls were released as David Cameron visited Newark ahead of the by-election on Thursday.

Seven in 10 of those planning to vote for Roger Helmer, the Ukip candidate in Newark, said they were making a protest to show their unhappiness with the main parties.

Huge relief for Tories as they trounce Ukip in Newark



David Cameron heaved a sigh of relief last night as the Conservatives claimed a comfortable victory in the Newark by-election after a mammoth effort to fend off Ukip.

The prime minister will cite the result as evidence that he can beat back the swell of support for Ukip that swept the party to victory in European elections earlier this month.

The result is disappointing for Ukip, who had hoped to cut the Conservatives’ majority by at least 10,000. The anti-EU party finished second, reducing the Tory majority from 16,000 to just over 7,400 and pushing Labour into third place.