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There is just one main topic of conversation among the delegates in Torquay: "Will Nigel Farage really be party leader again?"

The conference roared with delight when he announced he would stand again - a decision he says he only made at breakfast that morning - and they rewarded him with a standing ovation.

In the eyes of most people here he is the most charismatic leader they've ever had and his flamboyant - some might say off-the-wall - style of leadership peppered with the occasional publicity stunt has done more to promote the party than anyone else.

As one senior UKIP official put it: "Who else from this party has been invited to appear on "Have I Got News for You"?

So it may seem that his re-election is being taken for granted... but it isn't.

For a start, there are concerns about Mr Farage's health. He was badly injured in that plane crash. It was noticable that he didn't bound onto the stage but walked up the steps a little awkwardly. He has to have another operation in the next few months and whilst his supporters would love him to do the job, there are questions over whether he'd have the stamina.

And then there is the arguement put by Eastern MEP, David Campbell-Bannerman, that the party has to grow up and become more professional. His speech was seen as a criticism of Mr Farage's style of leadership and in a way it was. But it's more subtle than that.

Friends of Mr Campbell-Bannerman claim that members are becoming exasperated by some of Mr Farage's outbursts. One of them divulged that "several hundred" members complained about the speech in which he compared the new President of the EC to a Belgian bank clerk. Another claims that 30 or 40 members have left the party in protest at his leadership and that of his successor, Lord Pearson.

Mr Campbell-Bannerman says that getting publicity for UKIP is one of Mr Farage's strengths. What he sees as Mr Farage's weakness is his lack of interest in policy.

Nigel Farage, meanwhile, is being told by his friends that if he is going to be a leader again he needs to take on fewer responsibilities and delegate more for the sake of his health.

Perhaps the two would make a good double act? Oh, I forgot, before the general election campaign, they already were.

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