Today Nigel Farage has announced that he will be standing down as Ukip leader. Farage has pledged not to ‘unresign’ this time around, stating that now he has achieved his goal in the referendum, it’s time he ‘stood aside’ as leader of the party.
This means that the search is on to find Farage’s successor. With Farage known to have a fractious relationship with some members of Ukip, his departure could mark a new more harmonious chapter for party relations.
Steven Woolfe: Woolfe is the one to watch in the race. Loyal to Farage and with experience as an MEP, he has been being talked up as a future leader in Ukip circles for some time. What’s more, he impressed in the referendum campaign through his media appearances — notably taking David Lammy to task on the Daily Politics for claiming one million Indians died fighting for the European project in WW2.
Paul Nuttall: The deputy leader of Ukip is a likely successor to Farage. The MEP for North West England has a likeable manner and as a result is regularly put forward to speak for the party on shows like Question Time. What’s more, as a working class lad from Merseyside, Nuttall could prove a real threat to Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour when it comes to winning the vote in the beleaguered party’s one-time heartlands.
Suzanne Evans: As one of the party’s most high profile politicians, Evans has long been tipped as a future Ukip leader. Today she has confirmed that she would like to run. However there is one small snag — she is currently suspended from the party for ‘disloyalty’.
Evans has a tumultuous relationship with Farage and as a result has seen her star fade over the past year. She has been sacked as deputy chairwoman, welfare spokesman before her suspension by the party’s disciplinary committee. Unless her suspension is lifted, it’s hard to see how she would be able to run. While Farage has been suitably vague about this — saying that he doesn’t know and it’s not up to him — given that he has promised to stay involved with the party, Evans is unlikely to have an easy path ahead of her.
Douglas Carswell: As Ukip’s only MP it would make sense for Carswell to be in with a shot at becoming party leader. Carswell has made no secret of his dislike of Farage, today tweeting a smiling emoji on hearing the news.
https://twitter.com/DouglasCarswell/status/749892870606381056
Yet Carswell has already ruled himself out of the race. While continued speculation that Carswell could quit Ukip altogether — becoming an independent or rejoining the Tories — should now come to an end, he won’t be trying to fill Farage’s shoes anytime soon.
Diane James: In favour with Farage, the Ukip MEP could make a play for the role. However, her opponents suggest that she lacks the required experience. Unlike Nuttall and Woolfe, James till struggles with media appearances. During the BBC’s EU referendum debate, James gave the Remain side easy ammunition after she repeatedly said she ‘didn’t know’ on a number of points regarding the consequences of Brexit.
Neil Hamilton: Since his election as a member of the Welsh Assembly in May, Hamilton has already mounted a coup — ousting Nathan Gill to become the leader of the seven-strong Ukip group in the Welsh assembly. So, could Hamilton have his eyes on the top job? While there is little love lost between Farage and the former Tory MP, with Hamilton nothing should be ruled out.
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