'Fraud' probe in Farage defeat seat

Police are looking into an allegation of electoral fraud in Thanet South, the seat which Ukip's Nigel Farage failed to win at the general election.

Mr Farage lost out to the Conservatives' Craig Mackinlay who racked up 18,838 votes to Mr Farage's 16,026.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Kent Police has received a report of electoral fraud. Inquiries are ongoing."

Claims of suspicious behaviour surfaced following a lengthy delay in declaring the seat's results at Margate's Winter Gardens.

Then the Twitter hashtag #thanetrigged gained momentum when Ukip claimed victory in the local council election, with the party taking control of the authority.

Some users said that Ukip's local council triumph so soon after Mr Farage's defeat pointed to suspicious behaviour in the parliamentary contest.

Mr Farage quit as Ukip leader after he failed to win, but his resignation was rejected by the party's national executive committee and he remains as leader.