ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the development of UK Independence Party (UKIP) over time. It assesses UKIP's electoral fortunes and the tensions within the party. This party has had representation in both Houses of Parliament and a larger presence in local government. This improvement in UKIP's electoral fortunes can be linked partly to the party's ability to connect the low salience issue of European integration to the much higher profile question of immigration and to a perception that the mainstream parties in the UK are untrustworthy and very similar in their outlooks. The social profile of UKIP support suggests that their biggest electoral gains have been made in recent years among the least educated, pensioners and the working class. The chapter also looks at the nature of its Euroscepticism and wider policy platform and research on electoral support for UKIP before making comparisons with other parties.
