Patrick O’Flynn: Nigel Farage is surrounded by ‘wrong ‘uns’

12:14 PM

The Ukip economic spokesman says that he is launching a coup against Nigel Farage. He says the Ukip leader is “my political hero and he will remain so”.

He told Sky News: “He has done amazing things and I have been a loyal supporter of his leadership all along but he has unfortunately fallen, a couple of people in his inner circle who are … wrong ‘uns in my view, and are trying to influence him in a direction that is neither productive for Ukip nor even more importantly at the moment the general campaign to get Britain out of the EU.”

He adds that Ukip must put the party into the centre ground.

Mr O’Flynn also hits out at other members who want to “peddle” US import policies like scaling back the NHS and “liberalising gun laws” for “their own ends”.

O'Flynn: two staffers must go

— Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) May 14, 2015

O'Flynn; "there's poisonous influences which have to be removed"

— Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) May 14, 2015

O'Flynn refuses to say whom he means, but it's Raheem Kassam and Matt Richardson

— Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) May 14, 2015

Patrick O'Flynn: "a couple of rather poisonous individuals who are projecting themselves as essentially to the leadership".

— Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) May 14, 2015

The Conservative Home website is quoting a “UKIP official and leading Faragiste” who has turned their guns on O’Flynn:

“O’Flynn is a totally inexperienced campaign director and a candidate who struggled to retain his deposit, getting just 5.2%.

“A scribbler with a single tier education he struggled as Economics spokesman , trying to impose envy taxes and was keen on Red Ken Livingstone’s idea of a turnover tax on companies.”