UKIP membership hits 30,000. Could it overtake the Lib Dems next?

The party's membership has risen by a remarkable 8,500 since March.

In another sign of its remarkable growth, UKIP has just announced that it now has 30,000 members, an increase of 8,500 since March.

The party’s next aim is to overtake the Lib Dems, who were reported to have just 42,501 members at the end of 2012, a fall of 35 per cent since 2010 since 2010 and the lowest annual figure in the party’s 23-year history.