Henry Bolton says 'perhaps' wedding bells are on the cards as he reveals he is back with Jo Marney

Former Ukip boss Henry Bolton has said he is back with his ex-girlfriend Jo Marney after being forced out as the party’s leader.

The 54-year-old confirmed the news in an interview on Tuesday, adding on the subject of marriage "perhaps" but "it's not definite".

Mr Bolton says he started a relationship with the 25-year-old model at the end of last year after he separated from his wife.

However the pair split up after it emerged that Ms Marney had sent racist text messages about Meghan Markle marrying Prince Harry.

Ms Marney described black people as ugly and said Ms Markle would "taint" the Royal family.

Mr Bolton condemned the messages but said they did not reflect Ms Marney's "core beliefs".

He refused to stand down as Ukip leader despite facing a revolt which saw several senior Ukip figures resign in protest at the relationship.

He told BBC Radio Kent that the relationship left him "weakened" politically and "created an opportunity for my political enemies to have a go at me and ultimately they succeeded".

Mr Bolton, who has compared the scrutiny of his private life to that faced by Diana, Princess of Wales, also insisted his political career was not over.

A vote of no confidence by Ukip party members was passed by 867 votes (63.4 per cent), versus 500 against (36.6 per cent) on Sunday.

Leading member Gerard Batten has been named the party's interim leader.