One voter in in four would choose Ukip at the next general election, according to a poll taken by the Mail on Sunday.

These numbers, which represent a 22-point increase on the party’s standing at the 2010 election, come hot on the heels of Ukip’s by-election win in Clacton this week, in which they gained their first elected MP.

The poll, taken by Survation, put the party at an all-time high. Analysis shows that in the unlikely event of a repeat in May, the Conservatives could lose up to 100 seats - with Ukip picking up as many as 128 MPs.

The figures put both Labour and the Tories on 31 per cent, with the Liberal Democrats on 8 per cent. Analysts suggest that