Farage 'returns' as leader after Ukip refuses to accept resignation

Nigel Farage has executed one of the more curious political comebacks of modern political history after the UK Independence party refused to accept his resignation as party leader.

He had quit on Friday when he failed to secure a seat in the Commons, after pledging in the run-up to the general election to step down if he was not elected as member for South Thanet on the Kent coast.

But in a U-turn on Monday, Steve Crowther, the chairman of the anti-Brussels party, said its members would not accept Mr Farage's resignation because the party's "election campaign had been a great success".

Ukip's national executive committee said the party had "fought a positive campaign with a very good manifesto", securing 4m votes despite "negative attacks" from its opponents. This had been an "extraordinary achievement" it said.

Mr Farage withdrew his resignation and said he would continue to lead the party in a manoeuvre that prompted widespread ridicule.

In an autobiography published earlier this year he had said that it would be "ludicrous" for him to remain leader without being an MP.

"The consequences of me failing to secure a seat for myself in the Commons would be significant for both myself and the party," he wrote. "It is frankly just not credible for me to continue to lead the party without a Westminster seat."

Despite a high-profile campaign, Ukip's parliamentary representation fell from two MPs - both secured in by-elections last year - to just one: Douglas Carswell in Clacton. Mark Reckless, another former Tory who switched to Ukip, lost his seat of Rochester & Strood.

Mr Farage received mixed reviews for his performances in the leaders' televised debates, not least when he criticised the NHS for treating foreign nationals with Aids with British taxpayers' money.

He also complained about severe back pain - the legacy of his crash in a light aircraft on the eve of the 2010 election.

Yet the party came second in about 120 seats, giving greater weight to its claim to be a credible party of opposition. It also picked up 12 per cent of the total vote, far ahead of any previous national election - although it achieved a record 27 per cent in last year's European elections.

The frontrunners to replace him had included Paul Nuttall, Suzanne Evans and Patrick O'Flynn.

© The Financial Times Limited 2015. All rights reserved.
FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Ltd.
Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.
Euro2day.gr is solely responsible for providing this translation and the Financial Times Limited does not accept any liability for the accuracy or quality of the translation