Chris Moncrieff: Why Tories suffered by-election blues at hands of Ukip

The result was a humiliating defeat of the Tories whose nearly 10,000 majority in this constituency at the last general election was simply blown away.

Cameron boasted beforehand that the Conservatives would “throw the kitchen sink” at this by-election campaign. Well, that was mistake Number One.

There were something like 100 ministerial visits during this campaign, including no fewer than five by the Prime Minister himself. Has he not heard of over-kill? Did it not occur either to him or his advisors, that the voters in this constituency would get fed up with the sight and sound of obsequious blue-rosetted people constantly banging at their front doors?

Nor does he appear to have learned that you do not lure defecting voters back into your fold by insulting them as “fruitcakes” and “loonies”. That really was a crass and potentially hugely damaging thing for him to have done. It is hard to believe that a man of Cameron’s considerable brain power did not realise this at the time. I remember some fellow Tories looking shocked and incredulous when he actually delivered that insult.

What Cameron - and others - have also failed to take on board, is that Ukip speaks the language that people understand and promises to try to do what the voters want done, rather than the tendency of the two big parties to do what they think is good for the electorate.

They may accuse Ukip of jumping on every passing bandwagon. Well, what is so wrong with that? The object in politics is to win votes, and you do that by offering the voters what they are demanding.

So, it’s back to the drawing board for Cameron as Ukip threatens to change the face of British politics.

There is a real threat now of another coalition government after the next general election - and that means a weaker government than an administration of a single party. We have seen over the past five years how policies have been weakened by squabbles between the Tories and their coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats.

It will take more than Cameron hurling insults at Ed Miliband in the Commons every week for the Tories to regain popularity. The real threat comes not from Labour, but Ukip.

THE situation appears to be no less bleak for the Labour leader Ed Miliband. His party came a scarcely impressive third at Rochester and Strood (once a Labour-held constituency) amid the blazing row over Emily Thornberry, who was sacked as shadow Attorney General for making what have been described as “snooty” comments about the Cross of St George flags and a white van at the home of a man who lives in the constituency.

What made it worse for the Labour leader is that Ms Thornberry appears to exemplify what has been termed “the champagne socialist” and her infamous and contemptuous tweet may well have damaged Labour’s performance at Rochester.

But worse than that, it could well also have put something of a blight on Labour’s general election prospects.

Mark my words, both the Conservatives and Ukip will hammer this gaffe mercilessly between now and next May. Ms Thornberry, once one of Ed Miliband’s closest allies, need not be surprised if she is left out in the cold.

This was the last thing that Miliband needed, especially after his embarrassing TV drubbing at the hands of pop star Myleene Klass over the mansions tax proposal. No wonder he was in a rage.

Meanwhile, what about the Liberal Democrats who mustered a miserly 300-plus votes at Rochester. I think the kindest thing to be said about them is, RIP.

ROLL up! Roll up! The claws are well and truly out in a bitter cat fight involving two highly outspoken Tory ladies, Edwina Currie, the former MP for Derbyshire South, and the sitting MP Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire).

Edwina is joining the I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here “cast” in an Australian jungle, despite having criticised Dorries for doing the same last year. Nadine has been splendidly rude about Edwina, who had described the programme as a trial of humiliation and was extremely unpleasant about Nadine for having taken part.

Nadine suggested that it would have been more honest for Edwina to say that she was going on the programme because she needed the money, rather than that she was inspired by a sense of adventure.

Well, watch this space. I cannot believe that Edwina, knowing her as I do, will let that pass without a savage riposte.

Incidentally, I spotted a cartoon the other day depicting those already in the jungle when they heard the news that Edwina was about to join them. “Haven’t we been punished enough already?” they complained.

Chris Moncrieff is a former political editor of the Press Association.