‘An utter b****’ ...Ukip woman’s savage attack on female ex-leader
NIGEL FARAGE and his alleged ex ‘mistress’ were dragged into the Ukip leadership farce last night over claims that he regarded his successor, MEP Diane James, as ‘an utter bitch’.
The abuse is contained in a leaked email sent by Annabelle Fuller, who was once named in the European Parliament as Farage’s mistress.
She now works for Mike Hookem, the Ukip MEP accused of hitting party leadership favourite Steven Woolfe last week in Strasbourg.
Both Farage and Fuller vehemently deny any affair. Woolfe was one of the recipients of the ‘utter bitch’ email, sent as James was standing for Ukip in the Eastleigh by-election in February 2013. In the message, dated a fortnight before James came within a whisker of claiming victory, Fuller said: ‘I understand from the man who knows best we’ve been lumbered with an utter bitch who is Marta Mk 2.’
‘Marta Mk 2’ is a reference ce to former Ukip MEP Marta Andreasen, who enraged Farage by defecting to the Conservatives in 2013, calling him ‘anti-women’ and a ‘Stalinist dictator’. The email continued: ‘It’s down to you chaps to stop us having to work with an idiot and getting a bad result in this election.’
James plunged Ukip into fresh turmoil last week when she quit as leader after just 18 days, saying she did ‘not have sufficient authority’ to take the job.
She was also understood to have been upset by being spat at in public, and was concerned about her husband’s poor health.
When Fuller sent her email, James was poised to become the first person to win a Commons seat in Ukip colours – a feat that has always eluded Farage. She was second in the contest, coming within 1,800 votes of winning.
In 2014, Nikki Sinclaire, then a Ukip MEP, caused a storm by using parliamentary privilege to describe Fuller as Farage’s ‘former mistress’.
Shortly afterwards she stopped working for Farage. Now, in a bizarre twist, she has changed her name to Trixy Sanderson and is working for Hookem, who denies throwing a punch at Woolfe last week during a confrontation which led to Woolfe collapsing and being taken to hospital.
After Thursday’s incident ‘Sanderson’, 34, said: ‘Mike punched no one. He wasn’t there when Steven fell over as he was on his way to collect me.’
The row started after Woolfe was questioned over claims he had consid- ABUSE: Annabelle Fuller and, inset, her email targeting Diane James ered defecting to the Conservatives. It is understood Woolfe backed out of discussions after failing to get a guarantee from the Tories of a seat to fight.
Woolfe insisted yesterday that his injuries supported his claim to have been attacked, saying a medical examination revealed injuries ‘that were inconsistent with just a seizure or a fall as a result of a seizure’.
But a spokesman for Hookem said that he would be ‘seeking legal advice in relation to Woolfe’s allegations’.
The fresh exchange came as Ukip MEP Roger Helmer said that there would be a ‘black mark’ over Woolfe’s leadership bid if a probe found he instigated the ‘altercation’.
A Ukip spokesman said: ‘I remember Annabelle being told off for sending emails like that, but I would be cautious about believing any quotes she attributes to Nigel. He was very impressed with Diane during Eastleigh.’
Fuller/Sanderson did not respond to messages.