No mass protest over Farage’s return to old stomping ground

There was a touch of Groundhog Day when Nigel Farage returned to his old stomping ground of Thanet to rally support for Ukip. Inevitably, his trip to the seaside involved stopping off at various pubs to press the flesh and have a drink.

However, he steered clear of a walkabout in Ramsgate apparently because his advisers thought he might get ambushed by opponents. But rumours that several hundred protesters were to descend on the town proved wide of the mark. In the event, just a few dozen turned out.

Nevertheless, Mr Farage remains a big draw and his visit was shadowed by the usual camera crews and reporters.

Perhaps that is why he chose to drop a hint that he may not have turned his back on frontline politics forever, suggesting that if Theresa May did not deliver on Brexit, he could – like Arnie Schwarzenegger – be back.

For all the talk about Kent being a key electoral battleground, this campaign has been a low key one. Not a single party leader has ventured into the Garden of England, which must be a first. The closest we got was Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, but he was only in Gillingham to be a panellist on an edition of BBC’S Question Time.

As to other high profile figures coming to Kent, the only exception was shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry.

She made a whistle-stop tour to rally support in Canterbury – not exactly a Labour target seat.

If the Conservatives are returned to power, there will of course be the usual speculation about who could get a job in the new government.

Will any Kent Conservatives be in the frame?

There are already three ministers: Tracey Crouch, the sports minister; Damian Green, the work and pensions secretary and defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon.

It is a reasonably safe bet that they will remain in post, but might there be others?

Watch this space.