Nigel Farage has handed the embattled Ukip chief Henry Bolton a lifeline, suggesting he could be the party’s version of Jeremy Corbyn and have his leadership saved by the rank and file members.
Referring to the vote of no confidence passed by Labour MPs in the summer of 2016 in Mr Corbyn, the former Ukip chief said: “As one party spokesman after another resigns, I am reminded of the nightmare Jeremy Corbyn faced in 2016 when 21 members of his shadow cabinet resigned”.
His comments came after the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) unanimously backed a motion of no confidence in Mr Bolton on Sunday following the disclosure that his 25-year-old former girlfriend Jo Marney allegedly made racist remarks about Prince Harry’s fiancee, Meghan Markle.
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But after repeatedly refusing to resign from his role, Mr Bolton’s future will now be decided at a emergency meeting of Ukip members next month.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Farage added: “Corbyn was written off by the press, but the rank and file membership saved him.
"If Bolton has the courage and the vision to introduce a new constitution, and shows that he can be a strong spokesman for Britain leaving the single market, taking back its fisheries and restoring pride in the UK, he may well surprise all of his critics too.”
Mr Farage also said that Mr Bolton knew Ukip “must reform or die” and adapt to the digital age.
He continued: “His refusal to accept the NEC decision to quit, and his insistence on carrying out a full EGM, could provide lifeline for Ukip. For this crisis is about more than Henry Bolton. It is about whether Ukip is fit for purpose.
“He’s got a month to prove himself,” Mr Farage added on BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, adding: “I don’t know whether I will vote for him”.
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
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1/46 22 January 2018
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson next to US Ambassador to Britain Woody Johnson on a visit to the new embassy in London, a discreet move after criticism of US President Donald Trump who refused to inaugurate it
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2/46 21 January 2018
Women's rights demonstrators hold placards and chant slogans during the Time's Up rally at Richmond Terrace, opposite Downing Street. The Time's Up Women's March marks the one year anniversary of the first Women's March in London and in 2018 it is inspired by the Time's Up movement against sexual abuse. The Time's Up initiative was launched at the start of January 2018 as a response to the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
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3/46 20 January 2018
Britain's Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland perform in the pairs ice dance free dance event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow.
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4/46 19 January 2018
Sheep graze in a field in Thornhill, Scotland. Forecasters have issued a new warning of snow and icy conditions in Southern Scotland with the police advising people to leave work early in affected areas.
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5/46 18 January 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May look up at a military fly past at Sandhurst Military Academy in Camberley. Theresa May is expected to make an announcement as part of the Anglo-France Summit at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where she will discuss Britain's strong and wide-ranging bilateral relationship with President Macron.
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6/46 17 January 2018
A jackknifed lorry is recovered on the M74, following motorists spending the night stranded on the motorway in Abington, Scotland. Mountain rescue teams spent the night helping drivers following heavy snowfall in the Dumfries and Galloway region
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7/46 16 January 2018
Carillion, which has a variety of private and public service contracts in Britain and employs 43,000 staff worldwide, announced its immediate liquidation on Monday after the heavily-indebted company failed to secure a last-ditch financial rescue from the government and banks. Carillion held a £335 million contract to build the new Liverpool city hospital, the delivery of which was already delayed by the time the company went into liquidation.
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8/46 15 January 2018
Dolores O’Riordan, frontwoman of the iconic Irish grunge-rock band The Cranberries, died suddenly at the age of 46. A spokesperson for O’Riordan said she died “suddenly” in London, where she had travelled for a short recording session.
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9/46 14 January 2018
Glen Durrant celebrates with the trophy after victory during day nine of the BDO World Professional Darts Championship 2018 at The Lakeside.
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10/46 13 January 2018
The Whittlesea Straw Bear festival in Cambridgeshire celebrates the old Fenland plough custom of parading straw bears around the town every January. This Festival happens on the first weekend after Plough Monday. The procession, led by the Straw Bear, has over 250 dancers, musicians and performers. They perform traditional Molly, Morris, Clog and Sword dancing.
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11/46 12 January 2018
Workers look at the Madame Tussauds wax figure of US President Donald Trump outside the new US Embassy in Nine Elms, London, after Mr Trump confirmed he will not travel to the UK to open the new building - and hit out at the location of the 1.2 billion dollar (£886 million) project. Writing on Twitter, Trump said he thought the embassy's move from Grosvenor Square in the prestigious Mayfair district of central London to Nine Elms, south of the Thames, was a "bad deal".
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12/46 11 January 2018
British Prime Minister Theresa May watches birds from inside a bird hide with school children at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust's (WWT) ahead of a speech to launch the government's environment plan in London. Campaigners on January 11 criticised Theresa May's plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within 25 years, calling it a "missed opportunity" that lacked the necessary urgency. The government will extend a charge on plastic bags to all businesses and encourage supermarkets to introduce plastic-free aisles, May said in speech.
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13/46 10 January 2018
Cirque du Soleil 'OVO' dress rehearsal at the Royal Albert Hall.
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14/46 9 January 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May leads her first cabinet meeting of the new year at 10 Downing street.
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15/46 8 January 2018
Journalist Carrie Gracie speaks to the media outside the BBC in London after she turned down a £45,000 rise, describing the offer as a "botched solution" to the problem of unequal pay at the BBC. Gracie said she told the corporation she wanted equality, rather than more money, and was determined not to help the organisation "perpetuate a failing pay structure by discriminating against women".
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16/46 7 January 2018
A man reads a newspaper as he takes part in the annual 'No Trousers On The Tube Day' (No Pants Subway Ride) at Liverpool Street Station. Started in 2002 with only seven participants, the day is now marked in over 60 cities around the world. The idea behind "No Pants" is that random passengers board a subway car at separate stops in the middle of winter, without wearing trousers. The participants wear all of the usual winter clothing on their top half such as hats, scarves and gloves and do not acknowledge each other's similar state of undress.
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17/46 6 January 2018
League Two side Coventry City celebrate victory over Premier League side Stoke in the FA Cup third round.
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18/46 5 January 2018
A commendation ceremony takes place at Manchester Town Hall to recognise the actions of police and rail staff following the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena in May 2017.
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19/46 4 January 2018
Stuart (no surname given) with his possessions in a bus stop near Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Prime Minister Theresa May has said she disagrees with Tory council leader Simon Dudley, who called on police to clear rough sleepers from Windsor before the royal wedding.
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20/46 3 January 2018
Storm Eleanor lashed the UK with violent storm-force winds of up to 100mph.
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21/46 2 January 2018
Members of National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) hold a demonstration against rail fare increases outside Kings Cross Railway Station, London. Average rail ticket prices across Britain have risen by 3.4 percent, the biggest increase to rail fares for five years.
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22/46 1 January 2018
A man takes part in the Mappleton Bridge Jump, an annual unofficial tradition where those willing jump from Okeover bridge on New Years Day into the River Dove.
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23/46 31 December 2017
Passing clouds creating beautiful colours in Wimbledon on the last sunset of the year.
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24/46 30 December 2017
One person was taken to hospital after a fire broke out on the ninth floor of a building in Joiner Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
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25/46 29 December 2017
Heavy snow, rain, thunderstorms and wind have caused disruption across much of Britain as a band of "severe" weather rolled across the country. Travelers were warned of dangerous roads conditions, with Highways England advising road users to pack shovels, food and water if they do venture out. The weather didn't just affect travel however, camels on a farm near Richmond, North Yorkshire and various other animals are having to deal with the cold weather.
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26/46 28 December 2017
Alastair Cook celebrates after reaching his double-century during the third day of the fourth Ashes cricket test match.
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27/46 27 December 2017
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28/46 26 December 2017
Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his third goal, Tottenham's fifth, during the Boxing day Premier League match against Southampton at Wembley. He broke Alan Shearer’s record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year, scoring 39 from 36 matches. Kane also finished 2017 as Europe’s leading scorer ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who has 54 goals from 63 appearances in all competitions. Harry Kane has 56 from 52.
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29/46 25 December 2017
Swimmers get out of the water after taking part in the Christmas Day Serpentine swim in Hyde Park, London.
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30/46 24 December 2017
Stuart Broad of England bowls during a nets session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia. The fourth Ashes test starts on Boxing Day.
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31/46 23 December 2017
Staff members console each other as they survey the damage after a fire destroyed a number of buildings at London Zoo. An aardvark has died and four meerkats are missing. Eight zoo workers have been treated by paramedics after a desperate attempt to save the animals from the blaze, which broke out in a petting area.
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32/46 22 December 2017
Druids, pagans and revellers gather in the centre of Stonehenge, hoping to see the sun rise, as they take part in a winter solstice ceremony at the ancient neolithic monument of Stonehenge. Despite a forecast for cloud and rain, a large crowd gathered at the famous historic stone circle, to celebrate the sunrise closest to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The event is claimed to be more important in the pagan calendar than the summer solstice, because it marks the 're-birth' of the Sun for the New Year.
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33/46 21 December 2017
Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, British Defence Minister Gavin Williamson in the presence of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May sign a treaty between the Republic of Poland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on cooperation in the field of defense and security.
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34/46 20 December 2017
A protester wears a 'STOP BREXIT' hat outside the Palace of Westminster.
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35/46 19 December 2017
The Choristers of St Paul's rehearse for a series of services and concerts over the Christmas season at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
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36/46 18 December 2017
Joe Root, the England captain is interviewed after Australia regained the Ashes. England lost by an innings and 41 run runs in the third test at the WACA in Perth.
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37/46 17 December 2017
Photos of Richard Ratcliffe and his wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been jailed in Iran, on display at their home in north London. Mr Ratcliffe says he believes there is "still a chance" she may be released from an Iranian prison in time for a dream Christmas together.
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38/46 16 December 2017
Oxford Street in London is filled with shoppers with 8 shopping days before Christmas.
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39/46 15 December 2017
Jonny Bairstow of England headbutts his helmet to celebrate his century during day two of the Third Test match in the 2017/18 Ashes Series between Australia and England at the WACA in Perth, Australia. Bairstow was embroiled in controversy at the beginning of the tour after lightly headbutting Australian opening batsman Cameron Bancroft in an exchange in a bar.
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40/46 14 December 2017
People at the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service.
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41/46 13 December 2017
Wax figures of Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson wearing a Christmas Jumper at Madame Tussauds.
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42/46 12 December 2017
Victims and family of victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, Nicholas Burton (left), Sandra Ruiz (second right), Karim Mussilhy (right) and a girl who asked not be named (second left), hand in a petition to Downing Street, asking for an overhaul of the public inquiry.
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43/46 11 December 2017
A homeless man on the streets of Manchester. Many people are spending the night on the streets in freezing temperatures as the Met Office continues to issue weather warnings across the country. The Shelter charity has said that more than 300,000 are now homeless across Britain, equating to the population of a city the size of Newcastle.
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44/46 10 December 2017
Pedestrians walk over the Millennium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral pictured in the background as snow falls.
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45/46 9 December 2017
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, left, and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, right, with interpreter at centre, during their meeting in Tehran, Iran. Johnson is expected to discuss the fate of detained British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow Iran's government.
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46/46 8 December 2017
British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker address a press conference at the European Commission in Brussels.
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But speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Mr Bolton warned that the party cannot afford another leadership contest after several senior officials resigned from their posts in protest at the leader’s refusal to step down.
“It's the NEC that has failed to address internal disciplinary matters,” Mr Bolton said.” It's failed to unite the party and it's full of people who have always backed different people in the party and added to the fractionalisation of the party.”
He added: “We cannot politically afford another leadership contest and what's really important going forward is we bring some stability to this. I'm attempting to do that.”
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