Sebastian Payne

Exclusive: Ukip split widens as Douglas Carswell refuses to back ‘Leave.EU’ campaign

Doncaster Racecourse has been aflutter with rumours of an altercation between Ukip’s sole MP Douglas Carswell and Arron Banks, a Ukip donor who founded the leave.EU campaign – which is distinct from the Business for Britain campaign group. In an interview with Coffee House, Banks acknowledged that the pair encountered each other in a corridor today. He said:-

‘Douglas had a few strong words with me, not the other way around. I wished him well and went on my way. He took an exception to something written in the Guardian’.

This seems to have been a quote from Banks in the Guardian to the effect that Carswell will have to endorse his Leave.Eu campaign or ‘the whip will be removed from him or something else will happen’. There is a rumour is that Carswell shouted at him: ‘you can’t deselect me’.

But despite this disagreement, Banks said he would continue to work with Carswell:

‘Absolutely, he’s part of the Business for Britain group – maybe he’s a little bit put out about today’s announcement, I don’t know.

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