UKIP's campaign chief launches remarkable attack on Nigel Farage http://t.co/gXcZMALMyp pic.twitter.com/izyjlb9gUn

— Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) May 14, 2015

The fall-out from Farage’s unresignation continues

Last Friday Nigel Farage stepped down as UKIP leader following his failure to become an MP. After the weekend that was all rescinded when the party executive refused to accept it.

The following day there was a hugely publicised row between Farage and his party’s only MP Douglas Carswell.

This morning the Guardian and a number of of papers are highlighting a remarkable attack on Farage by UKIP’s campaign chief, Patrick O’Flynn in an interview with The Times that it is carrying on its front page (££).

What’s striking here is the person who is making the attacks. O’Flynn is the former political Editor of the Daily Express and his move to the party last year was regarded as a big coup. As well as the headline comments O’Flynn gets more specific:

“What’s happened since Thursday night, Friday morning has certainly laid us open to the charge that this looks like an absolutist monarchy or a personality cult,” he said. “I don’t think that even Nigel would say it’s been the most glorious chapter of his leadership..” He said the party had to ask itself why it had failed to secure a string of winnable seats, including Mr Farage’s own target in Kent..The team around Nigel himself need to reflect why it was that Thanet voted in a Ukip council but didn’t vote in Nigel as the MP for Thanet South, Mr O’Flynn said.”

This is tough stuff and it is hard to see how both Farage and O’Flynn can continue in the same party. One of them surely has to go.

No doubt we’ll see more Farage-related betting markets being announced during the day.

Mike Smithson

Follow @MSmithsonPB

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