UKIP has described Brighton and Hove as the “ideal spot” for the party to win seats at next year’s general  election – despite its reputation as  being a liberal city.

The party made the claim after it  selected its candidates who will contest  seats for the party in 2015.

Nigel Carter, Ian Buchannan and Clive Hickman were officially announced as UKIP parliamentary candidates for  Brighton and Hove.

With a reputation as a lefty save haven, Brighton may not seem the most obvious  choice for UKIP to contest.

But according to its new candidates, the city’s conservative base is ripe for the picking by a party that makes its stand as being against the norm.

Nigel Carter: “This is our ideal spot. People around the country tell me ‘you’ve got  a struggle, there’s a lot of lefties down  there’. We don’t accept that, or the left versus right argument because it’s too elastic,  it means different things to people in different times. It’s totally ineffective and misleading.”

Asked if he thought his party had a  chance next year, Mr Hickman said: “I think they do, because I’m running for Hove and it’s traditionally a Conservative area and we  know the Conservatives are haemorrhaging  support at grass roots level.”

Ian Buchannan, current East Sussex county councillor and prospective MP for Kemptown added his party was “the only way for the country to move forward”.

 

 

With the party’s candidates now installed and on the campaign trail the  only question remains for UKIP is if they’ll have any impact on the public vote.

Current Conservative Hove and Portslade MP Mike Weatherley said: “I do feel  that my own party is making the case well  that voting Conservative is the only way to  get the referendum that potential UKIP  voters want so much. Voting UKIP is more  likely to result in a Labour government
with no referendum after all.”