Support for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) has risen to a record high following the surprise attempt by Brussels to levy a £1.7bn "surcharge" on Britain, according to a ComRes survey for The Independent today.
It puts UKIP on 19 per cent, a jump of four points on last month and one point above its previous record support in a ComRes telephone poll in June. The Conservatives are up one point to 30 per cent to bring them level with Labour, which has slumped by five points to its lowest level under Ed Miliband.
The Liberal Democrats are down by one point to nine per cent, the Greens unchanged on four per cent and others unchanged on seven per cent.
Today's ComRes poll underlines UKIP's growing appeal to voters turning their backs on both Tories and Labour. Almost one in five (19 per cent) of people who voted Conservative in 2010 now say they will vote UKIP, up from 14 per cent last month. Around one in ten (9 per cent) previous Labour voters also plan to back Nigel Farage's party.
Two-fifths of the public (39 per cent) said they are attracted to UKIP because the party says what they think, an increase of six points since April when ComRes asked the same question. But 54 per cent of people disagree, the same proportion as six months ago.
Half of Britons (47 per cent), including half of Conservative supporters (54 per cent) and one in three Labour supporters (34 per cent), think that UKIP are talking about the things they care about.
Voting Intention figures:
Conservative 30 +1
Labour 30 -5
Liberal Democrat 9 -1
UKIP 19 +4
Green 4
Other 7
