Ukip's MP Douglas Carswell calls for Nigel Farage to quit as leader

Tory defector says party ‘needs to change gear’ to get rid of its unpleasant and socially illiberal image

Douglas Carswell, the Ukip MP, has called on Nigel Farage to step down as leader to help the party draw a line under its unpleasant and socially illiberal image.

Carswell has frequently clashed with Farage in the 18 months since he defected from the Conservatives, but this is the first time he has called for him to resign outright.

He has ruled out running for the leadership himself but said the party needed a fresh face. Although he praised Farage’s achievement in growing the party, he said sometimes a startup “needs to change gear and to change its management if it’s to go the next level”.

In an interview with BBC Essex as part of a documentary, Carswell also criticised Farage for suggesting Ukip’s failure to challenge Labour in the Oldham byelection was linked to fraudulent postal votes.

“Let me put it another way: I don’t want to wake up the morning after the European referendum and hear people saying ‘it was the postal votes’.”

He added: “If Ukip becomes that – that optimistic, sunshine, smiley, socially liberal, unapologetically free-market party – we will break out from the 13%, we will break out from being the also-rans in Oldham to being the winner.”

Farage, meanwhile, said Carswell should challenge him for the leadership if he really thinks Ukip needs a change. There has been tension between the two for a while, and it bubbled over during the summer in a row about party funding, Carswell’s criticism of Farage’s comments about migrants with HIV and again at Ukip’s conference over the party’s decision to back rival anti-EU campaigns.

Farage told the BBC: “It hasn’t hit me cold - he has been saying this privately for some months.” However, the Ukip leader insisted the party was “very united”.

“We have one person who disagrees with my leadership. Douglas Carswell is out on a limb.”

The roots of the argument are Farage and Carswell’s differing approaches to the EU referendum, in which the Ukip leader wants to focus on the dangers of migration to the UK. In contrast, Carswell takes a more liberal view of immigration and is working on a more cross-party basis on the Brexit campaign.

Many Tory Eurosceptics and some within Ukip are worried that Farage is too divisive a figure to be associated with the EU exit campaign.

Farage initially stepped down after failing to win his target seat of South Thanet at the general election. However, he changed his mind, prompting a bout of infighting in the party.

At the time, Carswell suggested Farage needed to “take a break” and Ukip MEP Patrick O’Flynn described the leader’s style as snarling and aggressive.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/18/douglas-carswell-ukip-mp-calls-for-nigel-farage-quit

Right Nige, so Carswell is 'out on a limb' but he's your only MP and you lost your election lol

Didn't take him long to change his tune did it? He was quite happy to defect to UKIP five minutes ago.

Anyway, I'm with Nigel on this one - I don't think that Carswell can claim any credit for the rise in UKIP votes generally. Besides, I find Nigel very entertaining.

One of the the most revolting men in politics, and that's saying something.  The so-called 'ordinary bloke' who is an ex City Trader, makes huge expenses claims and has his wife on the payroll, all the things that he complained others were doing.  Drinking a pint just don't cover it.

sassy wrote:One of the the most revolting men in politics, and that's saying something.  The so-called 'ordinary bloke' who is an ex City Trader, makes huge expenses claims and has his wife on the payroll, all the things that he complained others were doing.  Drinking a pint just don't cover it.

Wash out your mouth immediately!

We need UKIP to keep the main parties on their toes, and Nigel is the best person to lead UKIP IMO.

I hope you're not going to claim that other politicians didn't abuse the expenses system, including some Labour ones. I'd have a look at Carswell's expenses too.

You are joking, nobody needs a party of racists and fruitcakes.

sassy wrote:You are joking, nobody needs a party of racists and fruitcakes.

It's only your opinion that it's a party of racists and fruitcakes though.

It's a lot of peoples opinion it's a party of racists and fruitcakes.

sassy wrote:It's a lot of peoples opinion it's a party of racists and fruitcakes.

It's still just an opinion though.

Backed up by a lot of evidence, and no, I'm not going through and posting it all, it's all over the net, up to you to look.

sassy wrote:Backed up by a lot of evidence, and no, I'm not going through and posting it all, it's all over the net, up to you to look.

It's up to you to back up what you're saying, otherwise your claim has no validity and it's just an opinion.

sassy wrote:One of the the most revolting men in politics, and that's saying something.  The so-called 'ordinary bloke' who is an ex City Trader, makes huge expenses claims and has his wife on the payroll, all the things that he complained others were doing.  Drinking a pint just don't cover it.

Not my kind of choice either but the same can be said for many of these party leaders.