UKIP Leader Admits Losing Confidence of Party After Post-Election Crisis

Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage admitted losing party members' confidence when an internal UKIP crisis unfolded after the general election.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage has admitted losing party members' confidence when an internal UKIP crisis unfolded after the May 7 general election.

The anti-immigration, Eurosceptic party received almost 4 million of votes, but gained only one seat in the 650-member House of Commons.

Farage attempted to stand down as UKIP leader after he failed to win the Thanet South seat in the election. However, the party rejected his resignation.

After polling day, senior UKIP members began apportioning blame for the party’s poor election results.

On Wednesday, UKIP’s election campaign manager Patrick O’Flynn said in an interview with the Times newspaper that Farage has become a “snarling, thin-skinned, aggressive” man, who has turned the party into a “personality cult.” O’Flynn also slammed Farage’s closest advisers.

Speaking on the BBC's Question Time last night, Farage said he was disappointed by O’Flynn’s words, but stressed they could be linked to the pressure of the general election.

Farage argued that what UKIP needed after the election disaster was strong leadership. He added that the level of support for him inside the party was extraordinary; meaning a leadership contest right now would be a “massive mistake.”

The UKIP leader also stressed that the UK referendum on a possible exit from the European Union, that Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to hold in 2017, might be held even sooner. Farage urged his pro-independence party to remain united in the run-up to this landmark event.