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 .
Ukip - rogue poll shows Farage in danger of finishing third . Party rogue poll would show leader ##age for a famous victory . Results from the ' rogue poll ' were ' unreliable ' , a government spokesman said .