Ukip’s slow search for a new leader risks throwing away a golden opportunity

Labour’s current turmoil gifts Ukip an open goal. Or at least it should do. But instead of taking the opportunity to snatch disaffected Labour voters away, the party seems at pains to trip itself up. Steven Woolfe ended up in hospital after an ‘altercation’ with a fellow Ukip MEP, while Diane James stepped down as leader after just 18 days. Two weeks on, Nigel Farage is back in the helm and it looks to be business as usual for Ukip. Yet while Farage offers stability and familiarity, his presence suggests Ukip is simply offering more of the same – and doing little to try and broaden its appeal. The prospect of a new leader, then, offers a golden chance to do just that and to try and show Ukip is a party determined to get its act together. Ukip’s National Executive Committee meets today to discuss a takeover plan after Diane James’s short-lived time at the top of the party.