Ukip claims it has seen a surge in new members in the county - with applications to join triggered by growing disenchantment about the 'Chequers deal'.

But local party chiefs admit the membership numbers remain relatively modest and it is still recovering from losing many of its councillors in the wake of the controversial election and subsequent ousting of Henry Bolton as leader.

The scale of the party’s demise in the county was underlined in a recent council by-election in Thanet.

It was unable to find a candidate and the Birchington South ward it won in 2015 fell to the Conservatives.

Meanwhile, former leader Nigel Farage has denied he plans to stand in a parliamentary by-election in Peterborough and seems to have ruled out any other bid to stand anywhere else - including South Thanet, which he contested but lost in the 2015 general election.

Kent county chairman Nicole Bushill said: “There has been quite a substantial rise in Kent.

"Across the south east, we have had about 500 new members and I’d say about 20% have been from Kent and the majority are people who were not former members.”

“The Chequers Agreement has opened people’s eyes to what is a stitch-up and is really a Brexit deal only in name.”

She acknowledged the row about the election and subsequent demise of Henry Bolton had not helped the party’s fortunes.

“He has a lot to answer for,” she said.

"Across the south east, we have had about 500 new members and I'd say about 20% have been from Kent" - Nicole Bushill

Bolton, of Folkestone, caused controversy after it emerged he had left his wife for glamour model Jo Marney from Maidstone.

He was ousted from the job and the party suffered a series of resignations by councillors from around Kent.

Meanwhile, a former Kent Ukip party chairman revealed he had been approached to rejoin the party.

Richard Palmer, of Swale, said: “I was asked to come back but won’t but there has definitely been a surge in support.

"The issue is that there is no viable alternative to the Conservatives.”

The party’s heyday as a political force in Kent was between 2012 and 2015.

Successes over three years included victory in the European election and the election of 22 county councillors in 2013.

It secured an MP when the former Conservative MP Mark Reckless defected and won the Rochester and Strood by-election in 2014 - which he lost a few months later.