Shropshire Star

Ukip leader must go, says former vice-chairman Suzanne Evans

Suzanne Evans, the Shropshire-based former deputy chairman of Ukip, has called for party leader Henry Bolton to resign over his controversial relationship with party worker Jo Marney.

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Suzanne Evans

Miss Evans said that if Mr Bolton, who was only elected to his post in September, did not stand down he was almost certain to lose a vote of no confidence expected to take place on Sunday.

However, she ruled out standing to lead the party herself.

There have been growing calls for Mr Bolton to stand down after it emerged he had left his wife Tatiana Smurova-Bolton for 25-year-old Miss Marney, who has described herself as "the bad girl of Brexit".

Henry Bolton

The calls intensified this week after reports that Miss Marney had sent racist text messages about Prince Harry's fiancée Meghan Markle, and had also made jokes about rape and child sex abuse.

Miss Evans said while she did not hold Mr Bolton responsible for Miss Marney's actions, she believed he had shown extremely poor judgement in his relationship with her.

"I think he should resign, it has become very embarrassing," she said.

"I don't blame him for texts sent by his girlfriend, but the members feel very let down by the fact that he took up with this girl in the first place. I was calling for him to go before the latest revelations."

She said it was her understanding that if Mr Bolton did not step down this week, he would face a vote of no confidence as a special meeting of the party's National Executive Committee on Sunday, which she believed he would lose.

Defying calls to resign, Mr Bolton said yesterday that the "romantic element of the relationship" had come to an end.

But Miss Evans said this posed further questions.

"Does this mean he is going to carry on taking his counsel on matters from her?" she asked. "I think it's all very embarrassing, it's truly upsetting."

Miss Evans said her call for Mr Bolton's resignation came with a heavy heart, given that the party has been riven with leadership turmoil over the past two years.

"We need another leadership election like a hole in the head," she said.

"It's bitterly disappointing, but just because we have had however many leaders we have had over the past couple of years, I don't think that is justification to forget all of this."

Miss Evans said she had no intention of standing, saying there would be little point after former leader Nigel Farage said he would never accept her as Ukip leader.

She said it would cost £5,000 to stand in a leadership election, and she would not be prepared to do that again having previously stood and failed.

"I tried that once, and it cost me a lot of money," she said. "I won't be doing it again."