‘A very regrettable matter’: UKIP members face probe after bust-up

 

 

What we know

 

UKIP MEP Steven Woolfe and contender for the party’s leadership ‘collapsed’ after a dispute with fellow UKIP member Mike Hookem in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday (6 October).

 

He said: “Mike came at me and landed a blow. The door frame took the biggest hit after I was shoved into it.” (quoted in the Daily Mail)

Hookem denies hitting Woolfe or seeing him bang his head.

 

Woolfe is being kept in hospital in Strasbourg until Sunday. He was said to be in a serious condition when he was rushed to A&E suffering two ‘epileptic-like fits’.

 

Parliament President Martin Schulz said it was a ‘very regrettable matter’ and referred it to the advisory committee on the code of conduct for members.

 

What was the dispute about?

 

At a group meeting, Woolfe reportedly said he had considered joining the Conservative Party following the Brexit vote.

 

Both Woolfe and Hookem could be stripped of their basic allowance and face a two-to-ten-day suspension.

 

Leadership campaign

 

The incident comes just one day after the eurosceptic party lost its head when leader Diane James announced she wouldn’t take the post only three weeks after being elected.

 

Outgoing leader Nigel Farage renounced the leadership soon after Britain’s vote to leave the EU in July.

 

He said the party would hold its own investigation into the matter. On Thursday he was quoted as saying the bust-up was just ‘one of these things that happens between men’ by AFP newsagency.

 

Woolfe had been the favourite to win the leadership contest and the incident his left the party in disarray. Commentators say the dispute highlights the internal struggle in the party following Farage’s departure after achieving his goal of making the UK leave the EU.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-10-08

 

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Commentators say the dispute highlights the internal struggle in the party following Farage’s departure after achieving his goal of making the UK leave the EU

 

And that is the point.  Love him or hate him Farage pushed long and hard for the referendum and that pressure made Cameron call it.  Once the result was announced there was point in UKIP at all.  Nigel knew that and jumped ship.  Now it's just nails in the coffin

 

 

 

These fools define themselves.

 

Just a pity that they have destroyed a mutually beneficial agreement between States in the process to feed their bitter little egos.

7 hours ago, dunroaming said:

 

And that is the point.  Love him or hate him Farage pushed long and hard for the referendum and that pressure made Cameron call it.  Once the result was announced there was point in UKIP at all.  Nigel knew that and jumped ship.  Now it's just nails in the coffin

 

 

 

Yes, he jumped ship

 

 

...faster than any Italian ships captain could. 

 

Rumour is some in UKIP have approached a certain Mr Trump to be their new leader.

 

21 hours ago, dunroaming said:

 

And that is the point.  Love him or hate him Farage pushed long and hard for the referendum and that pressure made Cameron call it.  Once the result was announced there was point in UKIP at all.  Nigel knew that and jumped ship.  Now it's just nails in the coffin

 

 

 

 

No. Farage was an irritant, a stirrer. But it was the in-fighting in the Tory party and Dodgy Dave's believe he could use the referendum to end it in his favor that made him call it. 

Farage, along with barmy Boris and the sinister dwarf then exploited it for their own agendas.

 

Farage was visibly shocked at the result - and completely clueless about what to do. That's why he ratted out, although still happy pocketing the MSP allowance for as long as possible.

It's one thing to be a destroyer, it's another to be a builder. We have many of the former, too few of the latter. As I see it people are picking up the pieces and trying to put it together again - " Humpty Dumpty sat on a bridge ...".