In their heartland...

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Are they a spent force? Similar collapses in by elections everywhere.

I notice that most of their votes went to Labour in this UKIP stronghold. Some said that would never happen.

I think their time is done as a major force - they got their Referendum and won it - which is what attracted the main bulk to them from the Conservative and Labour vote basis - mostly around freedom of movement and Eurosceptic conservatives.

With Labour moving back to the left (and in theory at least representing working class voters more than New Labour's appeal to the middle classes) and a firm if unstable Conservative party that's a bit more traditional conservative than liberal conservative - I don't really see how UKIP can recapture their previous presence.

Unless of course Brexit fails or there is a second referendum. The Islamophobia and anti-migrant stance doesn't really have the capacity to re-deliver the kind of voter basis that they had last time out.

Its really job done as far as UKIP goes

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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I really cannot envisage a "Phoenix rising from the ashes" scenario for UKIP.

As well as having lost their raison d'être like him or loathe him they will also have suffered by losing their charismatic leader Nigel Farage

Nige was UKIP.

He is always waiting to return if need be.

Ironically as a party they would have been stronger today if the UK had voted to remain... They have got what they wanted, and I see absolutely no future for them in UK politics, unless there is some sort of u-turn in leaving the EU.