Suzanne Evans to run in Ukip leadership race
Suzanne Evans has announced she will stand for the leadership of Ukip, after front-runner Steven Woolfe resigned from the party last week.
Evans, who was suspended from the party earlier this year and has fallen out with Nigel Farage, made the declaration on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, stating: "I think I am the right person to lead Ukip into the challenges ahead; to beat the first-past-the-post system by broadening our appeal and getting MPs into Westminster."
The former deputy chair of Ukip said she was worried that EU referendum result was being "undermined" and that she would not let that happen if she was elected leader of the party.
"I want to champion the cause of those 17.4 million people that voted to leave the EU. Now, we're seeing their democratic choice undermined by the political class. We're seeing hundreds of MPs and activist lawyers …trying to undermine the will of the people. I will be breathing down their neck."
Read more: Polls shows Labour heading backwards
She also attacked her leadership rivals, such as Raheem Kassam and his backer, millionaire donor Arron Banks. Evans said she would not miss Banks' donations to the party should he pull funding if Kassam does not scoop the top job.
Bookmakers promptly installed Evans as second favourite to become leader, behind Nigel Farage's former deputy leader, Paul Nuttall.
However, the clash between Evans and Farage, who was reinstalled as leader following Diane James' resignation after only 18 days in post, flared up almost immediately after Evans announced her intention to be leader.
Read more: Lawyers declare the EU referendum "not legally binding"
Farage responding to Evans' announcement by stating that he would not vote for Evans. Although he fell short of coming out in favour of any one of the other candidates, Kassam was previously an aide to the four-time Ukip leader.
Kassam also expressed "disappointment" with Evans' criticism of him, claiming she had tried to make the leadership contest about personality.
"“When she does things like this it really undermines her and the party,” he said.