Although the Tories have recently undergone a leadership election and Labour are in the midst of one, it’s Ukip’s leadership contest that is shaping up to be the most shambolic. While Suzanne Evans was ruled ineligible to stand for leader, the frontrunner in the race — Steven Woolfe — has been dogged by reports that he too is ineligible after he failed to renew his party membership when it expired.
However, this snag may now be the least of Woolfe’s problems. The leadership favourite has managed to miss the deadline for submitting his nomination. Although applications were due in by noon on Sunday, Woolfe’s application did not successfully go through until 12.17pm. Woolfe’s spokesman insists that he attempted to submit the application at 11.35am but then encountered a ‘technical issue’:
‘He informed them he was having technical problems. These were finally resolved and the paperwork submitted.’
While he has since gone on the radio to recall his ‘computer says no’ moment, Ukip have yet to confirm whether Woolfe’s application will be accepted.
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