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15/05/2015
Nigel Farage Will Not Stand Down From UKIP
Nigel Farage has said he will not stand down as leader of UKIP.
He made the comments during an appearance on BBC's Question Time on Thursday evening.
Last week, Mr Farage stood down from the party after he failed to win the Kent seat of Thanet South in the General Election. However, just a few days later, he was reinstated by the party after they refused to accept his resignation. He has since said he has received a "phenomenal" level of support from the party. This follows a row which erupted on Thursday when UKIP's campaign chief Patrick O'Flynn accused Farage of becoming "snarling" and "thin-skinned", and was "aggressive" during the election campaign. Two of the aides have now left the party.
When asked about the situation on Question Time, Farage replied that it is the wrong time for him to step down, explaining that he felt the Prime Minister would bring forward the promised referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, and that it would be a mistake for UKIP to spend three months on a leadership campaign at the same time.
He said: "The level of support for me in the party is phenomenal and, frankly, to go through a leadership contest at a time when [David] Cameron says he's renegotiating our relationship with the European Union would be a massive, massive mistake."
In last week's General Election, UKIP secured almost four million votes, but just one MP – Douglas Carswell for the Clacton constituency – secured a seat at Westminster.
(JP)
He made the comments during an appearance on BBC's Question Time on Thursday evening.
Last week, Mr Farage stood down from the party after he failed to win the Kent seat of Thanet South in the General Election. However, just a few days later, he was reinstated by the party after they refused to accept his resignation. He has since said he has received a "phenomenal" level of support from the party. This follows a row which erupted on Thursday when UKIP's campaign chief Patrick O'Flynn accused Farage of becoming "snarling" and "thin-skinned", and was "aggressive" during the election campaign. Two of the aides have now left the party.
When asked about the situation on Question Time, Farage replied that it is the wrong time for him to step down, explaining that he felt the Prime Minister would bring forward the promised referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, and that it would be a mistake for UKIP to spend three months on a leadership campaign at the same time.
He said: "The level of support for me in the party is phenomenal and, frankly, to go through a leadership contest at a time when [David] Cameron says he's renegotiating our relationship with the European Union would be a massive, massive mistake."
In last week's General Election, UKIP secured almost four million votes, but just one MP – Douglas Carswell for the Clacton constituency – secured a seat at Westminster.
(JP)
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