Diane James has quit Ukip to sit as an independent member of the European parliament, just weeks after her 18-day tenure as leader of the party came to an end.
Explaining her decision to leave the party, James said her relationship with Ukip colleagues had become difficult since she declined to take up the role of leader.
In a statement, the former Ukip parliamentary candidate, who came close to winning the Eastleigh byelection in 2013, said: “My decision to retire from the election process and not complete it was very difficult personally and professionally, given that Ukip has dominated my life and all my efforts for the last five years.
“In recent weeks, my relationship with the party has been increasingly difficult and I feel it is time to move on.”
James won the Ukip leadership after a contest in September triggered by Nigel Farage’s decision to step aside following the EU referendum. However, she declined to formalise the position after 18 days, having signed her official forms with a note saying “under duress” in Latin.
She later released a statement saying it had become clear that she did not have sufficient authority or the full support of her colleagues to overhaul the management structures of the party.
Farage returned as interim leader while the party ran a new race, which was plunged into turmoil following an altercation between the frontrunner, Steven Woolfe, and another MEP, Mike Hookem. Woolfe withdrew from the contest and resigned from the party.
Paul Nuttall, the former deputy Ukip leader, is now the favourite to win, with Suzanne Evans, the former deputy chair and policy chief, another leading contender.
Farage and Evans suggested James should resign as an MEP, given she was elected on a Ukip ticket.
“This is yet another act of irrational selfishness from Diane James,” Farage said. “This pattern of behaviour says that is she unfit to continue as an MEP. She should do the honourable thing and resign.”
