What next for Ukip? The party has come under scrutiny following leader Paul Nuttall’s failure to win the Stoke-on-Trent Central byelection, and an ongoing war of words between Nigel Farage, Ukip’s former leader and best-known figure, and Douglas Carswell, the party’s sole parliamentary MP.
We asked readers who have voted for Ukip in the past to tell us what they think of the current state of the party, and where they think its future lies.
Below are a selection of their views.
‘Ukip needs to keep the government honest on Brexit’
Ukip needs to keep the government honest on Brexit, but the future for Ukip has to be to further reduce immigration and fight the intolerance that has been imported. A recent YouGov poll showed over 50% wanted immigration reduced - the other parties can barely bring themselves to reduce EU immigration. If not Ukip, other parties will fill the gap.
Carswell, Evans and Hamilton are out of touch with the members and need to go. A new UKIP could then get MPs at the next election. If Carswell stays, Ukip is finished.
Eric Oxborough, 67, Somerset
‘Parachuting Nuttall into Stoke was a huge mistake’
I am not happy with the party’s current direction because the party is fast becoming like any other mainstream party, and the petty infighting is causing the party to split down the middle, making it look shambolic therefore making it unelectable. There is to much power at the top of UKIP, and members and activists are not receiving enough credit or airtime. Also the party is failing to sell its policies. Parachuting Paul Nuttall into Stoke so early into his leadership was a huge mistake. The party should have a chosen local candidate and it should have focused more on attracting Tory voters rather than just making a pitch to Labour voters.
Daniel Whittam, 24, Nottingham
‘Ukip has lost its raison d’etre’
Perhaps surprisingly, I voted Remain in the referendum as, while I am no fan of the EU, I thought leaving was throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I think Ukip is now totally pointless.
Brexit is happening (and is in good hands with Theresa May), and the party has lost its raison d’etre. I think Ukip will lose its big money donors and thereby the resources to run national campaigns, will be squeezed by the Tories, and fizzle out over the next few years.
Alex Evans, 50, Nottingham
‘Nuttall is an appalling choice of leader’
I suspected when Nigel Farage resigned that Ukip would struggle to appoint a leader with as much charisma and popular appeal, but Nuttall is an appalling choice of leader. He is dragging the party to the right of the Conservatives, whereas under Farage I always felt that Ukip was a fundamentally liberal party that believed in nation states governing themselves and parliament putting British people first.
Ryan, 25, Manchester
‘Ukip should adopt Thatcherism on steroids’
I’m not happy with its current direction: the party has become too fractured and has no clear ideology to unite around.
Ukip should adopt Thatcherism on steroids. We should say the unsayable and adopt a policy of radical neoliberalism, no matter what the establishment throw at us. We should be the champion of free market capitalism for the working class.
The party should still be a significant force at least until 2020. It should not tack to the left - we must never become red Ukip. It must be radical: let’s privatize prisons, have a flat rate of tax, and scrap alcohol and cigarette duty.
Charles Amos, 17, East Grinstead
‘To survive we need to reform and possibly rebrand’
We have drifted into some sort ambiguous nationalist-Labour-lite and it simply doesn’t work. Look at Paul Nuttall’s main leaflet in Stoke - it was all about loving the NHS in an attempt to steal Labour’s clothes. No one is ever going to out-NHS the Labour party, and to try and do so is crazy
To survive we need to reform, possibly rebrand, chuck out those who want to make the party into just another centrist politically correct platitude generator, bring in some professionals to manage the party and its campaigning machine, and re-engage with the grassroots and restore their confidence and faith in the party.
We need to turn into the sort of accessible, democratic, “crowd-sourced” modern political movement Aaron Banks has hinted at. If we don’t do this, alongside creating a unique, radical, reforming, patriotic and common-sense collection of policies people actually want, Ukip is done.
Anonymous, Thames Valley
‘After Stoke we need to become more professional’
When you are in Ukip you can never expect things to go smoothly. The problem we faced after Stoke was we needed to become more professional; now the problem is that Arron Banks and the old guard and trying to claw back their position and are willing to drag the party down with them.
It may take a while, but we will build up from local elections to parliamentary elections. If however Arron Banks runs the show we will fail as a weak and divided party trying to ape Trump.
James Kendrick, 19, Nottingham
‘A change of name should be considered’
It will whither and die off like the SDP if it’s not careful. I would change the leadership - they keep selecting the loudest rather than the most able and they must be thoroughly vetted before getting to the selection stage. We need somebody a bit more media friendly and media savvy like good old Nigel [Farage].
A change of name and direction should also be considered. They need to move away from the EU thing as that work is done - hopefully - and the party could instead concentrate on being a real opposition.
Mark Barton, 60, Sussex
