Yahoo News Ukip in open civil war as Nigel Farage calls for Douglas Carswell to be thrown out after knighthood row
Ukip was in a state of open civil war on Monday night after Nigel Farage publicly warned that the party will collapse unless its sole MP Douglas Carswell is thrown out.
Mr Farage, the former UK Independence Party leader, said Mr Carswell had “sought to split and divide Ukip in every way imaginable” since defecting from the Conservatives to Ukip in 2014.
The two men have been at odds for years over the party's policies but their antipathy came to a head amid claims that Mr Carswell frustrated Mr Farage's chances of being awarded a knighthood.
Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Farage said: “As a party, how can we let a man represent us in the House of Commons who actively and transparently seeks to damage us?
“I think there is little future for Ukip with him staying inside this party. The time for him to go is now.”
Ukip is already facing a crisis after the party’s leader Paul Nuttall failed to win last week’s by election in Stoke-on-Trent, an area in which people voted heavily for Brexit at last year’s referendum.
I think there is little future for UKIP with him staying inside this party. The time for him to go is now
Nigel Farage
Last week Mr Farage said he believed Ukip failed to win the Stoke by-election due to its failure to continue its strong message on migration.
Now, leaked emails seen by The Telegraph show Mr Carswell mocked Mr Farage’s chances of an honour after it was turned down, saying he should be given an award “for services to headline writers”.
Mr Farage said the leaked online exchange showed Mr Carswell was “consumed with jealousy and a desire to hurt me” and urged Paul Nuttall, Mr Farage’s successor, to sack him.
However, Mr Carswell insisted the leaked email “confirms that I made every effort to make sure that Ukip got its fair share of peerages and honours”. Mr Nuttall declined to comment.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch, Ukip’s former leader, initially tried to organise a peerage for Mr Farage, backed by Ukip peer Lord Willoughby de Broke, last July in the wake of the EU referendum.
But these plans were dropped when the pair realised Mr Farage would have to resign as an MEP first before being allowed to accept the peerage.
Lord Pearson then approached the Cabinet Office’s Parliamentary and political service honours committee about a knighthood for Mr Farage. It turned down the application at the end of July.
The peer then asked directly Mr Carswell – who is Ukip’s leader in Westminster – to approach Gavin Williamson, the Government’s chief whip, about appealing the decision to reject Mr Farage’s application.
Mr Williamson – as an “official member” of the honours committee – is allowed to recommend honours to MPs who represent minor parties in the Commons.
Lord Pearson asked Mr Carswell in the middle of December to approach Mr Williamson believing this offered “a sporting chance of getting around this committee”.
On December 30th Lord Pearson emailed Mr Carswell saying: "Dear Douglas, Could you let me know how your talk with Gavin Williamson went before Christmas? By phone if you prefer? Good wishes. Malcolm."
Mr Carswell replied the next morning on December 31 – the day the New Year’s honours were announced – saying: “As promised, I did speak to the government Chief Whip.
“Perhaps we might try angling to get Nigel an OBE next time round? For services to headline writers? An MBE, maybe?”
Lord Pearson replied an hour later: "Dear Douglas, Let's speak at your convenience. Ring me? Not sure an 'Other Buggers' Efforts' quite hits the spot for Nige........?! Malcolm".
Email exchanges between Douglas Carswell and Malcolm Pearson
Mr Farage and Lord Pearson – who had kept the campaign for Mr Farage’s knighthood secret – suggested the email showed that Mr Carswell had not seriously backed the honour.
Mr Farage said: “It could not be clearer that Douglas Carswell was negative in his response to the chief whip. He is consumed with jealousy and a desire to hurt both Ukip and me. What a sad figure he cuts.”
Lord Pearson said the comments showed that it was “pretty clear [that Mr Carswell] he did not support” Mr Farage’s knighthood.
He added: “It is true that I and others tried to get a knighthood for Nigel Farage and one way or another we failed, and we still think he should have one.
“I am not going to give up. I am going to go on and try to see whether we can get him a K in the Birthday honours in the summer.”
Mr Carswell insisted he had supported Mr Farage’s knighthood, and urged The Telegraph to publish his email exchange with Lord Pearson.
His email showed he was “commiserating with the person who asking me to lobby on behalf of the party” on the day the New Year’s honours were announced.
He said: “I would say the emails you have directly contradict those who suggest I was not trying to ensure that Ukip got its share of peerages and honours.
“You cannot regard that email as anything other than being supportive that Ukip gets its fair share of peerages and honours. I am not going to say what I did or didn’t say to Gavin Williamson.
“Put the email in the public domain and let readers make up their minds. It reinforces my version of events.”
