Nigel Farage has outlined plans to regenerate Ramsgate if elected in May, in an exclusive interview with KentOnline's sister paper, the Thanet Extra.

The Ukip leader said: “Margate has had a shot in the arm and it is good to see efforts have been made to get it back on the map.

“But Ramsgate is not - it has so much history and potential and has been ignored.

Nigel Farage

“I want to bring more interest to the area - the forgotten part of east Kent.”

The latest potential development of a construction base at the Port of Ramsgate has already been strongly opposed at a public meeting and has more than 500 signatures from dissatisfied residents since a petition was launched on Friday.

He added: “To that idea I simply say - yuck.

“An eyesore would not bring interest back to the area, I think we need to get our fishing fleet back up and running and free from the EU restrictions imposed upon them.”

"In this constituency it is a straight choice between myself and (Conservative) Craig Mackinlay. Labour are out of the running and I think I’m the real deal..." - Nigel Farage

Mr Farage has been an MEP for the South East for the past 16 years and first stood in Thanet South in 2005.

He said: “My connections here are strong and I am aware of the local issues.

He said he felt that he was “the real deal” for Thanet, adding: “In this constituency it is a straight choice between myself and (Conservative) Craig Mackinlay.

“Labour are out of the running and I think I’m the real deal.

“I can be a strong national voice for Manston Airport and if elected recovering that as an airport would be the first thing on my list.”

But of course Mr Farage’s concerns and ideas extend further afield.

The brunt of Ukip policy is to leave the European Union and adopt more stringent immigration checks.

The 50-year-old said: “We have become a province of a European state and need to govern ourselves.

“We are all different countries but the EU is forcing us all into one and as we have seen in Greece - it isn’t working is it?”

Mr Farage said that the other parties are “a little bit scared”.

Nigel Farage believes Ramsgate has potential

He said: “Mr Cameron does not want to have debates - he threw in a red herring of wanting the Green Party there.

“He lowered the bar and has succeeded in turning this debate process into a farce.

“I think he may be a little bit scared of one or two of my politely-aimed questions.

“We have received abusive comments such as ‘closet racists’ and ‘fruitcakes’ - combinations of mockery and abuse.

“We have received abusive comments such as ‘closet racists’ and ‘fruitcakes’ - combinations of mockery and abuse. But we will not fight a negative campaign with insults being thrown back and forth...” - Nigel Farage

“But we will not fight a negative campaign with insults being thrown back and forth.”

But Mr Farage did have one attack of his own to aim at the Prime Minister.

He said: “David Cameron is proud of introducing gay marriage and putting wind turbines everywhere but he has also reduced our defences to a low level with massive cuts to the army.

“It is also an absolute disgrace that there are no properly run services to injured veterans.”

Mr Farage intends to use a points system for immigration.

He said: “We have an open door to criminal gangs and we need to be positive on our immigration stance.

“Mass immigration has made people poorer because there are less jobs for British people and there is nothing we can do about the strain on our roads if we stay in the EU.

“The national wage is 14% less than ten years ago because we have a massive oversupply of labour entering.”

Talking about international relations he said that our multiculturalism had led us to welcoming a fifth column.

Mr Farage added: “I think we should be proud of our English heritage but we must admit that we have been very gutless and weak.

South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay has been hosting a Westminster Hall debate about the human cost of drug addiction. Picture: Steve Crispe

“We have pursued immigration policies from all over the world when frankly we haven’t even done security checks on the people who are coming to our countries.

“We have had 40 years of state sponsored multiculturalism where we have deliberately divided communities rather than encouraging them to integrate and get on together and the results are really very worrying.

“Everyone from Cameron to Clegg to Harriet Harman has condemned me for daring to say this - but we do have I’m sorry to say and it’s mercifully small, a fifth column living within our country that is opposed to our way of life.

“We are bound to be targeted in the media because we are threatening the establishment. There are people who say silly things and have chequered histories in other parties but you don’t hear about that as often...” - Nigel Farage

“They wish to convert us to a completely different religion and have different attitudes towards women and homosexuals and many other groups.

“We have got to stand up as we have done in the past and fight for who we are and be a little bit prouder of who we are and to recognise that we come from a Judeo-Christian culture and we should be more muscular about that.”

Many Ukip councillors have come under criticism and attracted negative publicity.

In response Mr Farage said: “We are bound to be targeted in the media because we are threatening the establishment.

“There are people who say silly things and have chequered histories in other parties but you don’t hear about that as often.”

He finished by noting the progression of his party and why he is confident of gaining the Thanet South seat.

“In 1994 I became the first Ukip candidate in a by-election where I beat the late great Screaming Lord Sutch of the Monster Raving Loony Party.

“But we have come a long way since then winning the European elections last year.

“We have come from nothing to Ofcom announcing the other day that Ukip is now a major political party.

“I think we have been right all along and this has connected with a lack of trust from the public towards the career politician who stands in the major parties and has never struggled through the rigours of life.

“There are different types of people in our party - we are diverse and strong-minded and the people of Thanet realise that.

“We have had a very positive reaction since our campaign began.”