Although last week’s by-elections exposed cracks in Labour, it’s Ukip that has gone into free fall as a result. After Paul Nuttall failed to win in Stoke-on-Trent Central, both Nigel Farage and chief donor Arron Banks were quick to go on the attack. Over the weekend, Banks called for Nuttall to make him party chairman or else. Now both Farage and Banks are gunning for Douglas Carswell to be expelled from the party over reports that Ukip’s only MP frustrated Farage’s chances of being awarded a knighthood (it turns out that the anti-establishment politician is okay with some aspects of the establishment after all).
Banks has since promised to run against Carswell in Clacton at the first opportunity — while it’s rumoured that Carswell’s office is currently photo-copying 5000 copies of Farage’s anti-Carswell Telegraph editorial to distribute in Frinton-on-Sea. If you’re finding this hard to keep up with, don’t worry — it’s all likely to change again within the hour anyway.
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