North West MEP Paul Nuttall fears for Ukip's future

A senior member of Ukip has said he fears "for the very future of our party" unless the in-fighting that has racked the organisation is resolved.

Outgoing deputy leader Paul Nuttall said the party has been plagued by squabbling and division which has left it resembling "a jigsaw that has been emptied on to the floor".

Speaking shortly before the next Ukip leader was announced at the party conference in Bournemouth, he called for whoever succeeds Nigel Farage to unite all wings of the party.

And he stressed that they must not lead "a "Faragista Ukip or a Carswellite Ukip" but be free to put their own stamp on the organisation.

Speaking in front of delegates in the conference hall, he said: "I will be frank at this point, because I can be now. Ukip has not been a happy camp for over a year, and the animosity has spilt over into the media.

"No one, no one has emerged from this with their head held high."

He said party splits over which Brexit organisations to back, with their only MP Douglas Carswell supporting Vote Leave while Mr Farage threw his weight behind the rival Leave.EU group plunged Ukip into crisis.

He said: "The designation process between Leave.EU and VoteLeave created a cancer in the heart of the party and led to its leading lights using Ukip as a football - so much so that the party resembles a jigsaw that has been emptied onto the floor. The new leader must put it back together.

"And this can only be done through talking to people, not issuing empty threats or pursuing internal naval gazing schemes that will most likely amount to nothing.

"The opportunities are there, today is a breakwater in the history of this party. It is a changing of the guard, both Nigel and I are standing down from the stage, and standing down must mean standing down.

"The new leader will not benefit in any way, shape or form if any of us attempt to backseat drive. They must be their own person, they must stamp their own mark and they must control every lever of the party.

He added: "They must not lead what the Westminster journalists call a Faragista Ukip or a Carswellite Ukip - they must lead Ukip, a Ukip for everyone.

"They must ensure that the party is a big tent where all talents are utilised and people are not marginalised for simply holding alternative viewpoints."

He warned the party has a poor track record in dealing with different opinions, and called for greater tolerance.

He said: "This must change, because if it doesn't and the new leader continues to preside over the in-fighting we have seen over the past year, then I fear for the very future of our party.

"This is a great opportunity to put all that behind us. To look forward and not backwards, to let bygones be bygones, the new leader has a clean slate and my advice is this - look outwards not inwards, be optimistic and positive, do not get bogged down in internal squabbling, and focus on fighting Ukip's enemies and not on fighting each other."

Ukip deputy chairman Diane James won the contest to replace Nigel Farage as the party's leader.

The MEP, who was the frontrunner in the contest, took the top job with 8,451 votes.

During the leadership battle she promised to have a "laser focus" on the Brexit negotiations but refused to set out any policies, insisting she did not want to make "policy on the hoof".