Paul Nuttall:
Although I had no prior warning of Douglas Carswell’s resignation, the most surprising element for me is that some people have been surprised by it.
Over the past year it has become clear that he has been drifting in one direction while Ukip has been marching in another.
He has always been – and always will be – at heart a Brexit-supporting staunch Tory, and, with the referendum result sorted, he has no reason to stay in a party that is moving into Labour’s turf, rather than going in a direction that would make him feel more at home.
Anyone watching him in an interview could tell he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the party’s direction of travel. And the extent to which he would praise Theresa May without reservation was an obvious mismatch with the Ukip rank and file.
When Douglas joined Ukip, we still had the referendum to win, and his defection to our party was a part of that process.
Securing our exit from the EU was the biggest political objective of both Ukip and Douglas, so it made sense that he could put any difference of opinion on other policies to one side while we got on with the job.
But Ukip has always been about more than just leaving the EU, and once the referendum question was answered, the differences were bound to be laid bare.
We are the party that wants to do more for veterans, control immigration, deliver a fairer housing system and stand up for the hard-pressed working class that the establishment has forgotten for decades. An establishment that Douglas served for nine years before joining Ukip to fight for Brexit.
Although I’m not surprised, I have to say I am disappointed in him.
I became leader on a mandate to reunify the party and, as such, resisted calls to expel him from the party, even though it would have been a move welcomed by a majority within Ukip.
I thought that, as Ukip had done such a great job in raising his profile since he joined us from the Tory back bench, he would have chosen a more conciliatory route, or at least spoken to me about whatever concerns were prompting him to consider leaving.
When he has spoken about the need for more “grown-ups” in politics, I had hoped he would do more to lead by example.
It has been a difficult time in Ukip recently, but we are used to having a difficult time. It wasn’t easy 10 years ago, arguing that we should leave the EU. It’s not pleasant being called racist and xenophobic, when you know you are nothing of the sort.
Ukip members are accustomed to not giving up when we know we are right, and not giving up on important causes, how ever hard the fight.
Douglas had been due to appear in front of the party’s NEC tomorrow; he has been subjected to trolling on social media, and criticism from a steadily growing number of members. So I can see why he would be tempted to opt for the quieter life that sinking back on to the back benches and not having to adhere to a party’s expectations will bring.
As far as the party is concerned, we can now put behind us one of the most damaging internal conflicts, that has dogged us over the past year.
We can look forward with optimism and unity of purpose to the very real challenges of policing Brexit, and further reforming the vigorous democracy of the UK.
We can and will put forward a raft of proposals that will show the hard-pressed, patriotic working people that they are no longer forgotten and they have a champion. And we can do this confident that we will not suffer the embarrassment of a high-profile dissenter.
I imagine most of the Ukip membership will initially be angry, with a sense of betrayal, but soon they will be breathing a sigh of relief. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them tweeted a smiley face or two.
‘I thought that as Ukip had done such a great job raising his profile, he would have been more conciliatory’