Ukip infighting: the party’s ongoing wars explained

It may have got four million votes in the general election, but the ongoing war of words in Ukip is threatening to convince already sceptical voters it is not a party that can hold itself together.

Defections: Autumn 2014

Tory MPs Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless defected to Ukip. This is a big coup for Farage and the party, but stores up problems for the future. they are MPs disaffected with the Conservative centre ground and concerned about the Ukip threat in their backyard, but they are not part of the party faithful.

WAG tax: September 2014

The party’s economic spokesman Patrick O’Flynn is left red faced after he suggested a “wag tax” on luxury goods such as shoes and handbag. He was immediately slapped down by Nigel Farage 48 hours later saying the idea was “dead” as long as he was leader.

HIV: October 2014

Nigel Farage says he wants to ban immigrants with HIV from the NHS. In an unexpected outburst the Ukip leader said his party would ban seriously ill migrants from using the service and Douglas Carswell refused to publicly back him. Crucially his father Dr Wilson Carswell was the first person to diagnose Aids in Ugandan patients and carried out influential work on the illness.

HIV and BBC: April 2014

Nigel Farage uses the Election Debates to make determined and outspoken attacks on BBC bias and to repeat his controversial comments on HIV. While both ideas play well with some wings of the party other more recent converts were frustrated by the comments seeing them as deliberately provocative.

Nigel Farage loses: 7 May 2015

After months of showing a united front Ukip’s losses hurt. Although the polls were not looking good for Farage the core party support couldn’t quite believe that he could lose. Mark Reckless, the only other Ukip MP, lost and the party only came second in a host of its target seats.

Douglas Carswell wins: 7 May 2015

Farages disappointment was matched by Mr Carswell’s success as the only elected member of Ukip in the commons and making his relationship with Mr Farage precarious.

The resignation: 8 May 2015

Mr Farage had said for weeks that he would step down if he did not become an MP, arguing that it was not credible to lead the party without being in the Commons. He resigned. For four days.

The un-resignation: 11 May 2015

Party chairman Steve Crowther said the national executive committee “unanimously” wanted Nigel Farage to stay, and the former Ukip leader withdrew his resignation and become leader again.

Nigel does his own thing without the party knowing where he is or what he is doing Will Gilpin, former Ukip chief executive in 2013

Mr Carswell was not happy with this and only knew about it when Laura Pitel from the Times showed him the news on her phone.

An email quoted by the Mail claimed that Ukip election candidates were told by head of candidates David Soutter to send supportive messages about Mr Farage ahead of a meeting.

Money, Money Money: 13 May 2015

Douglas Carswell announced publicly that UKIP in parliament does not need £650,000 of taxpayers’ money to run a parliamentary operation. He said that spending the money – owed to Ukip because it won almost four million votes and became a major party – would be the behavior of an “American senator”.

Snarling, thin-skinned, aggressive Farage: 14 May 2015

Patrick O’Flynn the former political editor of The Express and the party’s economic spokesman said that Mr Farage was risking turning the party into a “personality cult”.

He also attacked senior aides within the party and told The Times “aggressive” and “inexperienced” staffers must be cleared out.

‘Make Carswell leader’: 14 May 2015

Godfrey Bloom, the controversial figure who left the party after referring to women as “sluts”, said Mr Carswell should step forward and lead. This prospect is something that Mr Carswell ruled out on the day after the election, telling the Times “I am not going to be running as leader.”

And this isn’t the first time.

The latest rows are part of a rich history of infighting in the party.

In 2013 the Chief Executive of the party Will Gilpin left by “mutual agreement”. When he left he said the party’s reluctance to undergo the reforms to turn it into a “professional political party” means it will remain “a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs.”

His comments from two years ago ring rather true today: “The thing I am most shocked by is that Nigel [Farage, Ukip’s leader] does his own thing without the party knowing where he is or what he is doing.”