UKIP leader Nigel Farage last night pledged to enlist an 'army' to fend off the Tories and Labour after he was selected to fight a Kent seat at the 2015 general election.

Mr Farage's main opponent in Thanet South will be former Ukip leader Craig MacKinlay, now with the Conservatives, who will be defending the party's 7,617 majority from 2010.

Victory in the seat is a real prospect after the party's strong results in the area in the European elections.

He said: "We can't for one moment afford to be complacent because we swept the board in 2013 and we swept the board here in 2014.

"We did and that was magnificent. But don't think that the heavy artillery from the Conservative and Labour parties will not be fired on this constituency.

"They don't want Ukip breaking through into Parliament and they do not want me breaking through into Parliament.

"Somebody said I'm David Cameron's worst nightmare. I want to be Ed Miliband's worst nightmare, too." Calling for a "Thanet Army", Mr Farage added: "We have got to get people to do their bit."

l London Mayor Boris Johnson has entered the selection contest for the Commons seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in Middlesex.