ALMOST one-fifth of Conservative Party members are considering voting for the UK Independence Party, a new poll suggests.

In a further blow for the party, more than half do not believe they are respected by David Cameron and his leadership team.

The research was carried out by YouGov for the University of London, Sussex University and the McDougall Trust.

The respondents were asked whether they would consider voting for Ukip on a scale of one to 10, with the top rating indicating a definite yes.

Some 19% gave a score of eight or above.

Asked about the Tory leadership's respect for ordinary members, 53% either felt that they did not have much respect or none at all.

Only 19% said they expected the Conservatives to win an overall majority at the next general election.

Meanwhile, 44% admitted they spend no time on party activity in an average month.

It is unusual to see surveys of party members because lists of names are not released.

However, the polling firm has identified 852 individuals from its previous work.

The polling was carried out between May 31 and June 11 and those in charge were not able to weight the results to reflect the estimated 100,000 Conservative Party members.