UKIP donor Arron Banks accuses the party's only MP of staging a coup to block the leadership favourite from standing.
Steven Woolfe and Lisa Duffy are in the running to be the new UKIP leader
UKIP is on
the verge of civil war over the possibility former favourite Steven
Woolfe will be excluded from running in the leadership race.
The suggestion has laid bare deep divisions within
UKIP, with party members and officials briefing against each other in
the contest to succeed Nigel Farage.
One member of the party's ruling National Executive Committee, Victoria Ayling, has accused its only MP Douglas Carswell and Neil Hamilton, a Welsh Assembly member, of attempting a "coup".
UKIP's main donor Arron Banks, who backs Mr Woolfe, has told Sky News that an Emergency General Meeting could be called to stop the leadership contest if the immigration spokesman is not on the ticket.
It would require 20 branches to call for an EGM, something Mr Banks is actively looking into.
:: UKIP's Woolfe Fails To Declare Conviction
Another senior UKIP source said: "The membership are disgusted at the way the NEC are behaving.
"As Nigel said they are total amateurs. If they rule Woolfe out things are going to explode to a level they cannot comprehend.
"People have had enough of the party being held back and destroyed by these total morons."
Mr Farage, who also backs Mr Woolfe, has been sniping from the
sidelines, branding NEC members "total amateurs who come to London once a
month with sandwiches in their rucksacks, to attend NEC meetings that
normally last seven hours".
Mr Woolfe missed the deadline to submit his nomination application on Sunday and admitted failing to declare a criminal conviction.
Sky News understands he was also asked about his membership status by officials, who met on Tuesday to discuss the eligibility of all candidates.
The NEC-led panel will carry out a final check on the candidates before announcing the list at midday on Wednesday.
Other candidates who are likely to make the ballot include Diane James MEP, deputy chair of the party and home affairs and justice spokesperson.
Although she has not yet officially declared she will run, she has
emerged as the new favourite and has tweeted about broadening the
party's appeal to win elections.
While one of the party's most respected MEPs, she is not without tarnish, having had had to apologise after claiming migration from Romania was a problem because of the "crime associated with Romanians".
Mr Carswell and the architect of UKIP's general election manifesto Suzanne Evans are backing the relatively unknown Cambridgeshire councillor and former party director, Lisa Duffy.
Ms Duffy, a former TK Maxx store manager, has talked about banning
Muslim schools, ending the abuse of the NHS by foreigners and offers a
"common sense" approach to the party leadership.
She was the national coordinator of the UKIP Young Independence scheme and is credited with taking membership from just three people to over 1,000.
One member of the party's ruling National Executive Committee, Victoria Ayling, has accused its only MP Douglas Carswell and Neil Hamilton, a Welsh Assembly member, of attempting a "coup".
UKIP's main donor Arron Banks, who backs Mr Woolfe, has told Sky News that an Emergency General Meeting could be called to stop the leadership contest if the immigration spokesman is not on the ticket.
Tonight decision to exclude a Woolfe is the final straw - it's effectively a Hamilton / Carswell coup. https://t.co/l65HG8MN6W— Arron Banks (@Arron_banks) August 2, 2016
:: UKIP's Woolfe Fails To Declare Conviction
Another senior UKIP source said: "The membership are disgusted at the way the NEC are behaving.
"As Nigel said they are total amateurs. If they rule Woolfe out things are going to explode to a level they cannot comprehend.
"People have had enough of the party being held back and destroyed by these total morons."
I've been fought every step of the way by total amateurs who come to London once a month to attend NEC meetings that normally last 7 hours.— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) August 1, 2016
Mr Woolfe missed the deadline to submit his nomination application on Sunday and admitted failing to declare a criminal conviction.
Sky News understands he was also asked about his membership status by officials, who met on Tuesday to discuss the eligibility of all candidates.
The NEC-led panel will carry out a final check on the candidates before announcing the list at midday on Wednesday.
Other candidates who are likely to make the ballot include Diane James MEP, deputy chair of the party and home affairs and justice spokesperson.
Some talk of making @UKIP more 'professional'. I want the next leader to make it so we can win seats locally and in Westminter #WinningisKey— Diane James (@DianeJamesMEP) August 1, 2016
While one of the party's most respected MEPs, she is not without tarnish, having had had to apologise after claiming migration from Romania was a problem because of the "crime associated with Romanians".
Mr Carswell and the architect of UKIP's general election manifesto Suzanne Evans are backing the relatively unknown Cambridgeshire councillor and former party director, Lisa Duffy.
Video:
July: Farage Steps Down As UKIP Leader
She was the national coordinator of the UKIP Young Independence scheme and is credited with taking membership from just three people to over 1,000.
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