Henry Bolton could 'potentially' rekindle romance with Jo Marney - but only if Ukip agrees

Embattled Ukip leader Henry Bolton said he could get back together with ex-girlfriend Jo Marney - but only if the relationship is backed by the party.

Mr Bolton, who has vowed to fight to keep his job after Ukip’s national executive committee (NEC) passed a vote of no confidence in his leadership, said he and Ms Marney could “potentially” rekindle their romance.

But he said he would not do so if it posed a “problem” for the party.

It comes after one of the most tumultuous days of Mr Bolton’s time at the top of the party as 16 of Ukip’s 24-strong team of spokesmen and women resigned from their roles in protest at his refusal to quit, including eight who quit between dawn and 5.30pm yesterday.

Mr Bolton’s leadership of Ukip has unravelled in spectacular fashion since his relationship with Ms Marney, a 25-year-old model, emerged.

The 54-year-old left his wife Tatiana, 42, for Ms Marney just after Christmas but he faced a volley of calls to resign after Ms Marney was revealed to have made highly offensive comments about Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's fiancée, and black people.

Following the outcry, Mr Bolton said their "romantic" relationship was over.

But he has now left the door open to getting back together with Ms Marney.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are in close contact but the romantic side of the relationship is on hold and it won’t go any further if indeed that is a problem for the party.”

Asked directly if they could get back together, he said: “Potentially. At the moment I have things in my personal life to sort out, so does she, but the focus for me is absolutely getting the party fit to fight to go into that debate about the European Union.”

He added: “It may be permanently (over). Look, who knows what the future contains.

“Most probably it will not come back together but certainly it won’t if that is going to damage the ability of the party to project its politics.”

Ukip’s ruling NEC passed a vote of no confidence by 14 to one late on Sunday with Mr Bolton the only person to back his leadership.

But Mr Bolton faced down his critics and said he would not quit even after suffering a wave of resignations.

His fate now lies in the hands of the Ukip party membership with an emergency general meeting due to take place within the next month.

Reading a statement outside his hotel in Folkestone at 4pm on Monday he said he intended to “drain the swamp” within Ukip.

However, he insisted his proposed reform of the NEC was not rooted in a desire to settle scores.

He said: “No, not at all. At the moment the national executive committee… really has powers to get involved in absolutely every aspect of running the party.”

Mr Bolton's hopes of keeping his jobs received a boost last night after Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, backed him to stay on.