Lord Ashcroft Poll: UKIP Threat is Not About Europe

Lord Ashcroft Poll: UKIP Threat is Not About Europe PR Newswire LONDON, December 18, 2012 LONDON, December 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Just a quarter of those considering voting UKIP name relations with Europe as one of the top three issues facing Britain, a new poll from Lord Ashcroft has found. He concludes that an EU referendum - though it may prove necessary in resolving Britain's relations with Europe - would attract few UKIP considerers back to the Conservatives. The research finds that half of all voters considering supporting UKIP voted Conservative at the last election. 12% of those who voted Tory in 2010 now say they would support UKIP. Lord Ashcroft's report, They're Thinking What We're Thinking, is based on over 20,000 interviews with voters throughout the UK and fourteen focus groups of UKIP voters and those considering voting for the party. For UKIP considerers, immigration was more important than Britain's relations with the EU. However, more important than any policy area was the view that UKIP was on their side, shares their values, and says important things that need to be said but other parties are scared to say. In his commentary on the research, published on Conservative Home on Tuesday 18 December, Lord Ashcroft says: "These voters think Britain is changing for the worse. They are pessimistic, even fearful, and they want someone and something to blame.