UK's far-right UKIP faces leadership crisis; top figures quit

The far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) is undergoing a major leadership crisis as several top figures have put in their papers demanding the resignation of leader Henry Bolton over his girlfriend's offensive texts.
However, the 53-year-old UKIP leader is resisting the pressure to quit his post.
A defiant Bolton, who left his wife prior to his relationship with 25-year-old Marney became public, said: "I don't believe I have done anything wrong. My own personal life, it's a little bit of a mess at the moment. I need to sort that out, of course".
The UKIP, at the forefront of the pro-Brexit campaign against Britain's membership of the 28-member European Union (EU), lost its deputy leader and assistant deputy leader followed by spokespersons in charge of local government, education, trade and immigration.

The resignations followed the party's national executive committee's vote of no-confidence in Bolton, who has faced repeated calls to step down as UKIP leader over offensive texts sent by his ex-girlfriend.
However, Bolton has insisted that he intends to carry on as leader, saying another leadership contest would be divisive and an expensive distraction for the party which has seen four different leaders in the gap of a year.

If Bolton were to step down, it would leave UKIP seeking a new leader in the space of 18 months after Nigel Farage, Diane James and Paul Nuttal.
"The vote was carried unanimously, with the exception of the leader," the UKIP said after yesterday's national executive committee vote.

Under the UKIP rules, an emergency general meeting (EGM) must be staged within 28 days to endorse or reject the no- confidence vote. Members will be told about when and where the EGM will be held in the next 10 days.
"He should now resign from the UKIP immediately so we can get on with rebuilding the leadership of the pro-Brexit party without further distraction. If he forces us to hold an EGM, he will only humiliate himself further," said Neil Hamilton, the UKIP leader in Wales.
The anti-immigrant party, which has long campaigned to leave the EU, made big gains in the 2014 European elections and got the third-largest vote share in the 2015 general election with 12.6 per cent.

However, that vote share has since plummeted to 1.8 per cent in the June 2017 snap general election.
Deputy leader Margot Parker, who is an East Midlands Member of the European Parliament, said Bolton's "personal life took over the job he was elected to do" in reference to his former girlfriend Jo Marney's racist messages about Prince Harry's fiancee Meghan Markle.
"It would be quicker and cleaner if he came to the conclusion he could go sooner rather than later. This is taking time away from doing the job. This puts the party in a limbo situation," said Parker.