Controversial Ukip leadership hopeful Raheem Kassam pulled out of the race to succeed Nigel Farage today just hours before the final shortlist was drawn up.
The outspoken former aide to the party leader announced he had decided that winning the contest was “a bridge too far” for his campaign.
He accused Ukip chiefs of treating the race “like a coronation” by allowing MEPs to use party databases to campaign against him. The strong favourite Paul Nuttall, the party’s former deputy leader, is an MEP.
After the announcment, Ukip MP Douglas Carswell appeared to celebrate by tweeting a smiling emoji.
Mr Kassam, an outsider in the race, had faced a backlash for a catalogue of controversial tweets including one in which he insulted rival Suzanne Evans as “a wrinkly old ginger bird”.
The editor of right-wing news site Breitbart, who said he would now be travelling to the US to cover the rest of the election, threw his weight behind Ukip London Assembly member Peter Whittle instead.
He claimed he had raised enough for his deposit but would not be able to run more than a social media campaign from London, rather than travelling around the country to meet activists.
The move prompted speculation at Westminster that he had lost the endorsement of millionaire UKIP donor Aaron Banks, who funded much of the Leave.EU Brexit campaign.
In a statement, Mr Kassam said: “After much consideration, I have decided not to pursue my campaign to be UKIP leader any further. This was a very difficult decision, and I want to thank everyone who supported me in the process.
“It is a decision I have not taken lightly, but following meetings this weekend I realised the path to victory is too narrow. I would encourage my supporters to back Peter Whittle, who I think would make a fantastic leader of the party.
“I remain commited to the causes of the UK Independence Party, but sadly, at this campaign, it was a bridge too far for us."
He complained that “the top of the party is treating this like a coronation” and that his family have been the victim of “disgraceful treatment by the media”.
Mr Kassam had prompted anger over tweets, including a post - for which he later apologised - that joked SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon should have her legs taped shut to stop her “reproducing”, after she revealed she had suffered a miscarriage.
Previous favourite Steven Woolfe quit the party altogether after a row with a fellow party member at the European Parliament, which left him in hospital.
