Nigel Farage believes that one of his party’s strengths is that it can reach voters who do not care very much for politics and would not be inclined to vote at all were it not for Ukip. And George Keen, who is 22, is just the kind of supporter they could be proud to recruit.

“Nigel Farage, yeah. I mean I don’t know very much about it, but from what I do know about him, I’d vote for him, because I’m a British man. He’s all about getting the immigrants, is that right?”

The conversation took an unexpected turn, when George’s 23-year-old partner, Jodie Hedges, exclaimed: “What! You’re going to vote Ukip?” They had obviously talked about many things, but not this. She expounded: “I don’t know much about it either, but I’d vote for Labour. I think Ukip’s a bit racist.”

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“Yes, it is a bit,” George concurred.

“If you come to this country and you work for a living what’s wrong with that?” she asked.

“Yes, it’s alright if they want to work. But if you come to this country to sponge off people like us, we don’t want you. People can come here to take advantage.

“Obviously, if I was needing a life-saving operation and the doctor was an immigrant, then fair play to him. I’m contradicting myself a bit here. I’d say the same thing about people who come from this country who don’t want to work.”

“What, if we have a child and that child grows up and doesn’t work, we’re going to throw him out of the country?” said Jodie.

“If he’s my child, he’s going to work,” said George.

In pictures: The rise of Ukip Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: The rise of Ukip In pictures: The rise of Ukip 1993: Alan Sked forms Ukip History professor Alan Sked had been active in anti-EU politics for a while beore he founded Ukip in 1993. He resigned from the party after the 1997 election, concerned that it was attracting far-right members, and has been critical of Ukip since. Picture: Reuters Reuters In pictures: The rise of Ukip 2005: Kilroy defects Former TV presenter Robert Kilroy-Silk founded Veritas in 2005, after a failed bid to become leader, and took many of Ukip's elected members with him. But the party slowly lost its popularity and didn't put forward any candidates in the last election. Picture: REUTERS/Kieran Doherty REUTERS KD/RUS In pictures: The rise of Ukip 2010: Farage becomes leader, again Farage had led Ukip from 2006 until 2009, when he stood down to fight against the Speaker, John Bercow, for his Buckingham seat. He failed to win the election and returned to lead the party in November 2010. Picture: REUTERS/Kieran Doherty REUTERS/Kieran Doherty In pictures: The rise of Ukip 2010: Ukip fights for election Nigel Farage was injured in a plane crash on polling day in the 2010 general election, but his party increased its success in the votes. It fielded 572 candidates and took 3.1% of the vote, though failed to win any seats. REUTERS/Darren Staples REUTERS/Darren Staples In pictures: The rise of Ukip 2013: Eastleigh gains Ukip's candidate Diane James got the highest ever number of votes for any candidate from the party, but was beaten by the Liberal Democrats. The surge in support gave Ukip confidence ahead of local and European elections later in the year. Picture: Reuters In pictures: The rise of Ukip 2013: Bloom kicked out Godfrey Bloom, who served as an Ukip MEP from 2004 to 2014, had the whip withdrawn in 2013 after sexist comments and an attack on a journalist. He sat as an independent MEP until 2014, when he ended his term in office. Picture: REUTERS/Luke MacGregor In pictures: The rise of Ukip 2014: European election success Ukip got a higher proportion of the vote than any other party in 2014's European elections, adding 11 new MEPs and taking its total to 24. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor In pictures: The rise of Ukip 2014: Carswell defects Douglas Carswell defected from Ukip at the end of August, and was followed by Mark Reckless at the end of September, who resigned from the Tories amid rumours of many more defections to come. Picture: REUTERS/Toby Melville

I could not help but feel that as this conversation progressed, on one of Ramsgate’s busiest streets, that Ukip was slowly losing a voter, while the Labour vote, in this minuscule sample, was holding firm.

When Nigel Farage comes to South Thanet, whose MP he hopes to be by next Friday, he is likely to be mobbed. He is one of the few politicians who could not walk through Ramsgate unrecognised.

Ukip hopes his star status will carry him into Parliament, but if the latest poll commissioned by Lord Ashcroft is correct – and it is the most reliable guide we have – the seat is slipping out of his hands.

Farage’s multiple roles as candidate, Ukip leader and working MEP, limit the time he can spend in the constituency. While his main rivals, the Conservative Craig Mackinlay and Labour’s Will Scobie, are electioneering every day, Farage is absent for days at a time. His party does not have experienced volunteers to match the main parties.

The Independent caught up with Mr Mackinlay in Cliftonville, Margate, where he was doing what is called targeted canvassing. The Tories had a list of residents who they believed could be persuaded to vote for them, on the basis of previous telephone or door to door canvassing.

Farage is likely to be mobbed when he comes to South Thanet (Getty)

Not every encounter bore fruit. Mr Mackinlay spent a very long time locked in conversation with a former National Front voter who was planning to switch to UKIP, trying in vain to coax him to come further into the political mainstream – but it was, still, efficient use of a candidate’s time.

Robert Brown, a 79 year old French polisher – French being a description of his trade, not his origins – has seen a lot since his boyhood in Bermondsey. His wife is interested in Ukip, but he thinks that Farage is going to lose. “I don’t know why I think that: it’s just a feeling,” he said.

There were volunteers at work in the main Ukip office, in Ramsgate town centre, including Sarah White, who left the BBC to join Ukip earlier this year. “Sorry, we’re not doing anything for the media today,” she said.

Farage’s other vulnerability is that while he is a star to some, he provokes fierce opposition. The Green candidate in South Thanet, Ian Driver, a keen advocate of the legalisation of cannabis, has even urged Green supporters to vote for Mackinlay and his Tory campaign to stop Farage.

Lord Ashcroft’s poll suggested that Labour supporters are also thinking of voting tactically, though Mr Scobie is adamant that Labour is taking at least as many votes from the Conservatives here as it is losing to them.

And Nigel Farage’s celebrity has its limits. In the street outside the Ukip office, a young woman was resting on the bench. She is 18, she has a vote, she lives in the constituency and went to school in it. What did she think of Nigel Farage?