Ukip’s interim leader on Nigel Farage, Brexit and his party’s death spiral

‘Some wine? How about a beer? Shall we settle into a good old pub?’ I make these suggestions to Ukip’s interim leader, Steve Crowther, as we meet in central London, but he opts for a quiet bistro where he orders a cup of tea. He has a dapper suit, a ruddy, forceful face and a white beard of neatly trimmed bristles. His rat-a-tat laugh resounds across the bar like a well-oiled machine gun. Our intended subject is the Ukip leadership election (hustings this month, results on 30 September), but the n-word elbows its way through and claims our attention. The negotiations.

Crowther declines to criticise David Davis and his team, and he’s determined not to be ‘snotty’ or ‘churlish’ about it: ‘The 23-year struggle succeeded, and the mandate was passed to a new government to implement. Fine.’ He claims to be ‘encouraged by the blood-curdling threats issuing from Brussels about not negotiating for two months unless we agree to something.