Ukip's Suzanne Evans: 'nobody wants Nigel to leave'

Ukip’s internal warfare continues today with interventions from both sides. Suzanne Evans, the party’s deputy chairman, appeared on the Andrew Marr Show this morning to play down the tensions. She told Andrew Marr that the situation has been overegged:

‘I don’t think anyone hates anyone, I genuinely don’t. I think we’ve had some problems with some advisers around Nigel who very much kept him in their pocket if you like and he’s had too much influence from them. But they’ve gone.’

She singled out Raheem Kassam, Farage’s ex-senior advisor, who she happily noted has left the party and returned to work for Breitbart, a ‘far right, Tea Party, American style shock-and-awe publication’ where she thinks ‘he’ll be right at home’. Although Evans repeatedly said Ukip ‘can really move on from this’, does she think Nigel Farage needs to take a break?

‘Yes, and Douglas Carswell has said that he does hope that he still takes a break. Let me be clear: I have spoken to Douglas and people have been reading too much into that statement.’