Farage Poll Boost As UKIP Bids To Regain Ground

Nigel Farage has told Sky News that UKIP must rise above negative politics to win at the general election.

He spoke at his party's spring conference in Margate, just down the road from the South Thanet constituency where he is standing in May.

In what is being described as a rallying call, the UKIP leader focused on strategy and polling, and explained how the party will maximise its vote on 7 May.

Despite addressing a sparsely attended event in the US alongside right-wing Tea Party politicians just 24 hours earlier, the UKIP leader will have been buoyed on his return by a poll which indicates he is on course to secure a Westminster seat.

Research by Survation for party donor Alan Bown put Mr Farage's support in South Thanet at 39%, ahead of Labour's WIll Scobie on 28% and Tory Craig Mackinlay on 27%.

A previous poll by Tory Lord Ashcroft in November had suggested the Conservatives could retain the seat, where the sitting MP Laura Sandys is stepping down.

The latest forecast will be welcomed by Mr Farage, coming in the wake of a series of polls which suggested its support nationally was waning.

Nigel Farage insisted UKIP would make a positive pitch to the electorate rather than resorting to "repugnant" personal attacks like the Tories and Labour.

Mr Farage said he had been in America to give another speech on Thursday and heard more about the "pretty repugnant" negative campaigning out there.

He said the decisions by the Tories and Labour to hire US strategists had showed they were adopting such tactics.

Despite speakers at the conference having delivered a slew of jokes about awkward photos of Ed Miliband eating a bacon sandwich, Mr Farage went on: "I'm no supporter of Ed Miliband in any way at all, but it seems to me the personal attacks that are being lumped on him and then in turn back on Cameron - and, of course, everybody attacking me, I'm used to that - it seems to me it is not the kind of politics that this country wants or needs.

"What this country wants is some politics of hope and inspiration."

The leader urged party members to "turn the other cheek" when they came under attack and make positive arguments.

The party will be seeking to use the two-day gathering to regain momentum in the run up to general election, where UKIP could hold the balance of power.