Ukip leader is standing down

THE leader of Ukip has announced he will stand down at the start of next month after the party’s disastrous local election results.

Gerard Batten will quit on June 2 and trigger a leadership contest. The controversial MEP had pledged that he would stand down after a year in the post in return for becoming leader without a contest. However, his term was extended ahead of the local elections and the European Parliament elections.

Ukip’s founder Nigel Farage quit the party last year over Mr Batten’s leadership and has since started his own venture – the Brexit Party.

It has not been confirmed whether Mr Batten will stand again for the post, and this may be contingent on him retaining his MEP job, it was reported.

Yesterday he tweeted that there will be ‘a leadership election after the Euros’ and he ‘will decide then if I am running again’.

Contenders for the post could include deputy leader Mike Hookem, also an MEP, and Ukip’s sole London Assembly member, David Kurten.