{UAH} Nigel Farage Nigel Farage resigns as Ukip leader

Nigel Farage Nigel Farage resigns as Ukip leader after 'achieving
political ambition' of Brexit

Man who campaigned for Britain to leave the EU says he is stepping
down from leadership of the party

Rowena Mason and Peter Walker

Monday 4 July 2016 10.48

Nigel Farage is stepping down as leader of Ukip, saying he has done
his bit for the cause of Britain leaving the EU.

Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, he said it was time to
get his life back after successfully campaigning for the UK to vote
for Brexit.


"During the the referendum I said I wanted my country back … now I
want my life back," Farage said on Monday.

It is the third time he has resigned as Ukip leader, but he ruled out
coming back again in the future and claimed standing as an MP was no
longer on his bucket list.


: Nigel Farage resigns as Ukip leader saying 'I want my life back'

Farage, 52, was originally leader from 2006 to 2009 and came back to
the job after the 2010 election. He then stepped down after the 2015
election, only to "unresign" and return to fight the campaign to leave
the EU.


Farage on Monday insisted this resignation was for good but raised the
prospect of taking some role in negotiating Britain's exit from the
EU, saying he "might have something to give".


He said Ukip was instrumental in winning the referendum for the leave
campaign and insisted it would continue as a party in its current
form. Part of Ukip's role in future would be to stop "weakness or
appeasement from the British government" when it comes to negotiating
Brexit, he said.

Farage said it would not be easy to let go as he feels "part ownership
of the Ukip brand" but it was the right time to leave.


The race will now begin to find a successor, with possible candidates
including deputy leader Paul Nuttall, immigration spokesman Steven
Woolfe, culture spokesman Peter Whittle, Suzanne Evans, who is
currently suspended, or the party's only MP, Douglas Carswell.

Carswell, who has denied he wants to be leader and has frequently
clashed with Farage, tweeted a smiley face emoji in response to the
resignation.


Farage declined to be drawn on who should be the new leader but said
someone would be in place before its autumn conference.


He also refused to say who he backed as the new Tory leader, but that
it must be one of the three who backed Brexit. But he hinted at
possibilities for closer cooperation between the Tories and Ukip in
future.


He said if there were an election this autumn, he would not want Ukip
to stand against Brexit MPs.

In a statement, Farage said: "I have decided to stand aside as leader
of Ukip. The victory for the 'leave' side in the referendum means that
my political ambition has been achieved. I came into this struggle
from business because I wanted us to be a self-governing nation, not
to become a career politician.

"Ukip is in a good position and will continue, with my full support to
attract a significant vote. Whilst we will now leave the European
Union, the terms of our withdrawal are unclear. If there is too much
backsliding by the government and with the Labour party detached from
many of its voters then Ukip's best days may be yet to come."

Answering questions from reporters, Farage said he hoped there would
not be "weakness or, frankly, appeasement" of the EU in the UK's
negotiations to leave. Whoever took over from David Cameron needed to
argue from a position of strength due to the EU's reliance on trade
with Britain, Farage argued. He said: "We need a prime minister who
recognises that we've got the trump cards."

Farage said he and other Ukip MEPs would remain in the European
parliament until the UK left and the roles no longer existed,
something he hoped would happen within two years. He added: "The
Ukippers will have been the turkeys who voted for Christmas."

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