UKIP's leadership claims grassroots backing

Wednesday, 20 October 2004 4:14 AM

The UK Independence Party (UKIP)'s leader, Roger Knapman, has claimed that a survey of branch chairmen shows widespread backing for his leadership.

Mr Knapman claims that a telephone survey of the 224 party chairman revealed that 108 backed him, 25 said they backed Robert Kilroy-Silk and the remainder were undecided or did not respond.

He said questions about his leadership are now closed.

The decision to canvass local chairman came after former chatshow host Mr Kilroy-Silk sent out a 10-point manifesto to the party's 400 branch chairmen, attacking Mr Knapman's "shoddy electoral deals" with eurosceptic Conservatives and blasting Nigel Farage and his team in Brussels as a "self-selecting cabal."

In the letter he called for an "honest, open and grown up debate" about UKIP's future goals.

Rhetorically he asks: "Do we want a party with vision, with a clear sense of purpose, that knows where it wants to go, and wants to win, or one that remains on the political fringe?"

He has called for "proper" elections for the leadership, slamming the current process as an affront to democracy and akin to "a back-door conspiratorial election reminiscent of a banana republic."

Mr Kilroy-Silk on Tuesday refused to bow down to party donors such as Alan Bown, who want the former chat show host to stay mute on his leadership ambitions.

Mr Bown has said: "If Robert decides to continue with his leadership challenge, I will reluctantly have to reconsider the funding that I have promised for his personal election campaign in the East Midlands.

"But of course, I will continue to be a strong financial supporter of UKIP nationally."

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