Nearly 1 in 5 over-50s may vote for Ukip

Almost a fifth of older voters could vote for Ukip at the next general election, making it the second most popular party with older voters, according to a new poll.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Picture: PA

Nigel Farage’s party is just seven points behind the Conservatives nationally, pushing Labour into third place and the Liberal Democrats into a distant fourth, an online survey of Saga customers found.

Ukip’s support among over-50s is predominantly male, with 21% of men saying they will back the party while only 12% of women said they would do the same.

Its support is also lower among richer voters, unlike the Conservatives, the survey revealed.

Tim Pethick, managing director of Saga magazine, said “older people are more likely to go to the polls than younger people”, anticipating that the poll’s findings will be “keenly scrutinised by political parties”.

Polling company Populus interviewed 10,350 customers of Saga, which offers holidays and insurance exclusively to over- 50s, between April 12 and April 25 this year.

Ukip was most popular in the South East and South West of England, with 21% and 20% of those questioned saying they would give it their vote.

The Conservatives topped the national poll of over-50s with 25%, with Ukip second on 18%.