A Sussex MP has been named among dozens of Conservative politicians who could lose their seat at the next election because of rising support for UKIP.

According to analysis by a leading pollster in a national newspaper, Crawley MP Henry Smith, pictured, has been identified as one of 41 Tory MPs who would lose their seat to a Labour rival in the next election as traditional Conservative voters turn to UKIP.

The Crawley constituency had been a Tory seat since its creation in 1983 until 1997, when Labour’s Laura Moffatt won, but it was won back by Mr Smith at the last election.

Half of the voters polled in the study also said they would like to see South East MEP and UKIP party leader Nigel Farage win a seat in the Commons at the next election.

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