Ukip crisis: Party’s biggest donor Stuart Wheeler wants Nigel Farage to resign as aide Matthew Richardson offers his resignation
Ukip has been sent spiraling into crisis after the party's campaign chief attacked leader Nigel Farage, calling him "snarling, thin-skinned, aggressive".
Now Ukip's biggest donor Stuart Wheeler, a millionaire who gave the party £500,000, has called for Farage to resign – again – telling the BBC "If he wants to put himself up in an election then he has every right to do so though I personally would prefer someone else now."
Ukip's party secretary Matthew Richardson has offered to resign after the comments made by campaign chief and MEP Patrick O'Flynn were published in the Times today.
O'Flynn, has since backtracked, saying he supports Farage – his "political hero" – in an interview with Sky News, and warned it was close advisers to the leader who were "wrong 'uns" pushing the party in the wrong direction and turning it into a "personality cult".
"If anyone thinks that I am planning some kind of coup against Nigel they could not be more wrong. He is my political hero and will remain so.
"He has done an amazing thing, I have been a loyal supporter of his leadership all the way along but … a couple of people in his inner circle – for want of a better term – they are wrong 'uns."
Richardson has reportedly offered to resign. He is thought to be one of the advisers to which O'Flynn was referring.
A fellow Ukipper and Farage aide, Raheem Kassam, also understood to be one of the advisers O'Flynn referred to, has told the Telegraph he will not quit.
Farage resigned as Ukip leader last week after failing to be elected in South Thanet but "unresigned" after the party rejected it – a situation O'Flynn called a "fiasco". Farage responded this morning, saying: "If the NEC [national executive committee] back me what am I to do?"
The party, which has just one elected MP but gained the third largest number of votes, has already been beset by feuding within the party over the short money MPs are given to cover their costs in Westminster.
Douglas Carswell, who won his seat in Clacton for Ukip, refused to accept the cash as it would be "inappropriate". The move went down well with Ukip's supporters, however, the money will be missed by the party after fighting a big and expensive election campaign.