Nigel Farage's immigration rhetoric may harm ‘Out’ campaign, new poll suggests

Nigel Farage and Ukip are convinced they can win the EU referendum by focusing on immigration as the key issue. But other Eurosceptics have been concerned that the kippers will alienate the public — and non-Ukip sympathisers in particular — with their tough rhetoric on this topic and the ‘In’ side will triumph. British Future, a think tank which studies the effects of migration, has commissioned a set of polls which confirms this risk exists.

According to the polling conducted by Survation, 58 per cent agree that ‘Ukip risk bringing prejudice into debates on immigration’ — something 44 per cent of those described as ‘leaning Out’ agree with, as well as 74 per cent of those ‘leaning In’. Brexit campaigners are concerned about the latter group: if Ukip hogs the limelight over the next few months and toxifies the debate, it will make it harder to convince the soft ‘leaning In’ to change their minds.