It’s like that UKIP conference awkwardness never happened judging by last night’s council by-election results. Their vote held strong, coming in at 22% in St. James on Tendring and 32% in Storrington on West Sussex. Up north they polled 25% in Barnsley, which is worth noting considering they didn’t even run a candidate last time round. The big result of the night came from Crockenhill and Well Hill on Sevenoaks, where UKIP’s Steve Lindsay gained the seat from Labour.

UKIP are forever banging on about how their vote is not just made up of disaffected right-wingers, but Labour supporters and voters in the north. Last night they held strong in the south, improved in the north and gained a seat from Labour. Where the Tories held seats they did so with a reduced vote share. Maybe they have a point…