The Ukip leader, Henry Bolton, has arrived at a make-or-break meeting that will decide his political future.
About 2,000 activists at an emergency meeting in Birmingham will vote on whether to endorse a motion of no confidence in his leadership passed by the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC).
The meeting started with the former acting leader Steve Crowther heavily criticising Bolton, according to the Sky News reporter Lewis Goodall, who is present at the venue, but journalists have been barred from sitting in on the meeting.
THREAD: Media are not allowed into the UKIP EGM but will update here what I’m hearing. Steve Crowther, former acting leader has accused Bolton of lying on his CV and refusing to accept that he has done wrong. Criticised him for actions to his wife and kids.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) February 17, 2018
Ukip has no MPs, controls one council and saw its vote share collapse in the last general election from 12.6% to 1.8%. It is also facing financial ruin after a judge ruled it must contribute towards a £660,000 legal bill following a defamation action brought against one of its MEPs by three Labour MPs.
Ukip’s general secretary earlier suggested that Bolton’s days as leader were numbered even if he survives the vote.
Paul Oakley said: “Henry will be out after the local elections if he isn’t out today,” because the party was not prepared for the May polls.
Bolton is clinging on to the leadership despite a revolt by several senior figures in the party in protest against his relationship with the model Jo Marney.
He said he still had strong affections for his former girlfriend, who sent offensive messages about Meghan Markle, and he has compared the scrutiny of his private life to that faced by Diana, Princess of Wales.
Oakley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I have no interest in his personal life. It’s basically, for me, the fact that he has done nothing as leader. He is not making the case for Brexit.
“A particular problem is we have got local elections in May. This time in 2014 we were already well down the campaigning route and we have done nothing.”
The row around Marney’s messages was the last straw and Bolton’s handling of the issue indicated “he just doesn’t get it”, he said.
He also said the party was already having discussions about an interim leader to replace Bolton and that there were “three people in the frame”.
Suzanne Evans, a senior Ukip figure, told the Press Association that it was crunch time for the party and that Nigel Farage should return to lead it.
“He really needs to step up to the plate now, he helped create this mess that we are in, he needs to help us get out of it,” she said.
Before the meeting Bolton hit out at the media interest following the breakdown of his marriage to Tatiana Smurova and his new relationship with Marney.
He told Sky News: “There’s probably been nothing like that since the Profumo affair or Diana and Dodi [Fayed].” Bolton said he did not rule out running for leader again in the event of losing on Saturday.
