text: Nigel Farage (above) faced claims of a ‘cover-up’ last night for censoring a poll that suggests he is on course for a humiliating personal defeat in the General Election . Nigel Farage faced claims of a ‘cover-up’ last night for censoring a poll that suggests he is on course for a humiliating personal defeat in the General Election. The secret Ukip-commissioned poll, leaked to The Mail on Sunday, shows that Farage has fallen behind his Tory opponent in the Kent seat he is contesting. And he is in danger of finishing third, with Labour catching up fast. If the poll is accurate, it could end Farage’s political career as he has vowed to resign as Ukip leader if he fails to win South Thanet. The ComRes poll was commissioned last month by multimillionaire businessman and former Tory Arron Banks, who defected to Ukip last year and gave the party £1million. Ukip hoped the Thanet poll would echo an earlier one showing Farage heading for a famous victory, and they planned to use it to whip up more support. But when the result came through, Farage had a shock. It showed Conservative candidate Craig Mackinlay, a former Ukip activist, on 30 points, one ahead of Farage, with Labour only one behind. Farage was so alarmed he gave orders for the findings to be hushed up to avoid causing panic in Ukip ranks – and encouraging his rivals. Ukip officials spent last week trying to deny a cover-up. But yesterday, a spokesman finally admitted it had buried the survey, claiming the results were ‘unreliable’ and that it was a ‘rogue poll’. The censored poll is not the only sign that the wheels may be coming off Farage’s bandwagon, nationally and locally. The party won last year’s European elections with a sensational 27.5 per cent of the vote, compared to 24 for the Conservatives. But nationally Ukip’s support is now down to 14 per cent, while the Tories have risen to 34. Ukip hopes of becoming a major parliamentary force received a huge boost when two Tory defectors, Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless, won stunning by-election victories last year in Clacton and Rochester respectively. The poll showed Conservative candidate Craig Mackinlay (left), a former Ukip activist, on 30 points, one ahead of Farage. Above, Mackinlay is pictured with Sol Campbell campaigning . However, the decline in support for Ukip has led to most pundits predicting they will end up with a maximum of five MPs in May. If the censored poll is accurate, Farage may not be one of them, and that will leave Ukip in search of a new leader. Farage raised the Thanet stakes dramatically when he said in his recent autobiography that he would stand down as leader if he loses. ‘The consequences of me failing to secure a seat for myself in the Commons would be significant for me and the party,’ he wrote. Graphics show the results of the censored Thanet poll (above) and the growing support for the Conservatives (below) ‘It is frankly just not credible for me to continue to lead the party without a Westminster seat of my own. What credibility would Ukip have in the Commons if others had to enunciate party policy in Parliament and the party leader was only allowed in as a guest?’ He added: ‘Am I supposed to brief Ukip policy from the Westminster Arms pub? No – if I fail to win South Thanet, it is curtains for me. I will have to step down.’ If he resigns, Carswell, considered almost certain to retain his Clacton seat, is one of the favourites to succeed him. It could lead to a change in direction for Ukip: Carswell was horrified by Farage’s comments about banning immigrants who are HIV positive. Carswell could face a fight from the more telegenic Ukip Euro MP and former journalist Patrick O’Flynn. David Cameron has made stopping Farage in his tracks in Thanet one of his top Election priorities. The constituency was the first stop last week on Samantha Cameron’s Election tour itinerary. Tory-supporting former England footballer Sol Campbell visited Thanet yesterday to help the anti-Ukip campaign. Ukip has accused the Tories of using ‘dirty tricks’ against Farage. They rejected claims that photographs purporting to show him drinking in a pub in the constituency were in reality taken in a pub 70 miles away. A Ukip spokesman said the ComRes poll’s headline figures greatly understated Farage’s support because it included people who were not likely to vote and who tended to lean towards the traditional parties. ‘The poll shows that among those likely to vote, Nigel Farage is seven points ahead of both the Conservatives and Labour in South Thanet.’ A Conservative spokesman said: ‘The fact that Ukip commissioned this poll but then tried to cover it up when they didn’t like the results shows their true colours.’ ComRes declined to comment. ComRes interviewed 1,003 people in South Thanet between March 13-18.
target: Ukip-commissioned poll shows Farage in danger of finishing third .
  Party hoped poll would show leader heading for a famous victory .
  Results from the 'rogue poll' were 'unreliable', a Ukip spokesman said .