Action on immigration could sway even more UKIP voters to the Conservatives than a promise to leave the EU
As Conservative delegates gather in Manchester for their yearly conference one of their biggest electoral threats comes from a relatively new source. Now Conservatives don't only have to compete for votes with Labour and the Lib Dems but also with UKIP, a party that has been around for two decades but has seen a surge in popularity in recent years.
A new YouGov survey of UKIP supporters looked at the policies most likely to turn these voters to the Conservatives and found that, according to voters themselves, taking a tougher stance on immigration would the most effective.
Limiting benefits for immigrants topped the list with 70% stating it would make them more likely to vote Conservative, closely followed by reducing immigration (68%). A promise by Conservatives to leave the EU altogether, UKIP's flagship policy, came in third with 65%. Tactical voting seems to be less of a consideration for UKIP voters, as only 40% said they would be more likely to vote Conservative if it meant stopping Ed Miliband and Labour getting into power, the lowest of the options presented.
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The results appear encouraging for the Conservatives, with significant amounts of UKIP voters willing to switch support. Only 11-12% of UKIP voters said they would "never vote Conservative anyway" in response to these proposals. The survey also appears to show the transition UKIP has made away from being a single issue party, with immigration - not Europe - the issue most likely to sway UKIP votes, although the issues are inter-connected.
With a swing from the Conservatives to UKIP liable to hurt the Conservatives' chances of gaining an overall majority in 2015, the idea of Tory/UKIP pact has been floated by some commentators on the right. However, another recent poll by YouGov suggested that such a pact would actually benefit Labour.
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