Suzanne Evans announces she is running to replace Nigel Farage but Ukip leader says he ‘won’t be voting for her’
The former deupty chairman made a pitch to make the party the common sense centre ground of politics
SUZANNE Evans has announced she is running to replace Nigel Farage as Ukip leader with a pitch to make the party the "common sense centre" ground of politics.
The former deputy chairman was barred from standing after Mr Farage stood down after the EU referendum, but is eligible this time after her six-month suspension for "disloyalty" ended.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, she saw the party becoming the “tough centre”, capable of taking votes from both left and right - "not the wishy washy Lib Dem centre".
She vowed to make the party less "toxic", and said it risked being turned into a Donald Trump-style party by Mr Farage and his allies.
She is aiming to replace Diane James, the MEP who resigned after just 18 days in charge of Ukip.
But it comes as the party’s biggest financial backer, Aaron Banks, has revealed he is backing a former aide to Mr Farage in the leadership contest.The insurance tycoon said he was backing Raheem Kassam for the leadership "despite Paul Nuttall running" for the job.
Ex-deputy leader Mr Nuttall also threw his hat into the ring this morning, saying he will stand as a "unity candidate".
Having not run last time round he told the BBC's Sunday Politics: "Perhaps it's time for an older hand to step in and make sure the party holds together"
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The leadership contest was thrown wide open after former bookies favourite Steven Woolfe quit the party in the wake of an altercation with a fellow MEP that left him in hospital.
Mr Kassam welcomed the support offered by Mr Banks, the co-founder of the Leave.EU campaign.
He said: "This is a major endorsement from someone who has been one of the driving forces behind Ukip in recent years.
"Mr Banks ploughed his personal time and money into the referendum campaign and the party, and for those wondering whether he still stood with Ukip, this is a very clear sign: he does, under a Kassam leadership.
"I'd like to thank Arron for the brave and important support, and I look forward to working with him to make Ukip great again."
Mr Banks said on Twitter: "I've been very impressed with Raheem's ideas, despite Paul Nuttall running I think he's the candidate to beat. He's got my support."
And posting after Ms Evans’ BBC interview he said of her: “Virtually zero support but I'm glad she is running it's good to clear the air...”
But Ms Evans attacked Mr Kassam for being on the “far-right”, and was confident Ukip could survive without Mr Banks’ financial support.
Speaking minutes later Mr Farage told ITV's Peston on Sunday she had made a bad start to her candidacy.
Asked about her comments on Mr Kassam he said: "I won't be voting for her.
"I don't doubt she has ability, it's just a question of political direction and to kick off her campaign decrying one of the declared candidates is not what we needed."
Mr Kassam hit back at the comments, saying: "It is sad that 60 seconds after she launched her campaign on the BBC, Suzanne Evans attacked me and my thousands of supporters as 'far right'. This is a project fear tactic and Ukipers are sick of these smears.
"But we're going to rise above it. When she goes low, we go high, to quote Michelle Obama.
"I invite Suzanne Evans to meet with me at her earliest convenience to discuss her concerns, and how I think this party should be uniting to fight for Brexit, border control and more, and not attacking one another."
The new Ukip leader will be announced on November 28, with nominations to replace Ms James closing on October 31.