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Brexit Bulletin: Bolton and on and on

Henry Bolton: Down, but not yet out - AFP
Henry Bolton: Down, but not yet out - AFP

Good afternoon.

Ukip’s life after the Brexit vote continues on the journey from the politically sublime to the ridiculous. Members of its ruling National Executive Committee decided unanimously on Sunday that their party leader needed to leave. Over half of Henry Bolton’s frontbench have followed that up by quitting their roles in the hope of forcing him out. But the party leader remains unmoved, as he indicated he was ready to fight for his leadership before an emergency meeting for party members.

In a defiant statement from his hotel in Folkestone, Mr Bolton called for an end to “factional in-fighting in the party” while declaring his intention to oust his critics. After the NEC expressed no confidence in him, he declared in turn that he had no confidence in them - judging them “unfit for purpose”. “In a single Phrase, it is time to ‘Drain the Swamp’,” he quipped.

Mr Bolton is clearly digging in because he believes he has a chance of persuading party members to back him in an EGM. Central to his survival is whether he can make Ukip relevant to the Brexit debate again. Jonathan Arnott MEP cited its irrelevance under its leadership last week in justifying why he was leaving the party, although Mr Bolton blames “the NEC” and party critics for distracting him “from participating forcefully”. He will take to LBC tonight to be interviewed by former party leader Nigel Farage, in what should be a riveting listen.

Despite Mr Bolton’s hopes of steering the spotlight onto what Ukip wants out of Brexit, my colleague Christopher Hope reports that another party spokesman is set to resign tomorrow. Questions about his leadership, and the role Ukip serves in the wider debate, are not going to go away soon.

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