UK’s Nigel Farage raises eyebrows as he bows out with naked swim

Farage said he was “right behind” James and urged “all in Ukip to support her”.

She promised that “whoever you are in this country, you will have the backing of the UK Independence Party – winning machine”.

Nigel Farage stated that UKIP’s role after the United Kingdom referendum on Europe was to ensure there was “no backsliding or betrayal” on the vote to Leave.

The party is gathering for its annual conference, with five candidates lining up to replace Westerham’s Nigel Farage, who announced following Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in June he was stepping down to “get his life back”.

Facing down criticism that with the European Union referendum outcome UKIP was a spent force, Mr Farage said the party still had much to do and stood to benefit from a “deluge” of votes from dispirited Labour supporters.

James, a former analyst with a board-level career in the healthcare sector, said she would ensure the government delivers a Brexit deal that meets the main demands of UKIP voters: more free trade and tighter immigration controls.

As she took to the stage to take over from Mr Farage as the party’s new leader, Ms James paid tribute to the work of her predecessor.

He said he would quit after failing to win his seat at the 2015 general election, but stayed on after the party rejected his resignation.

The governing centre-right Conservative Party, under its new leader May, “now appears committed to delivering Brexit while also offering policies that have always been advocated by UKIP”, such as introducing more selective schools, said Goodwin.

Mrs James also asked the audience to applaud Mr Farage for his nearly two decade contribution to the party.

Ms James said: “I still haven’t quite come to grips with it”.

In her tell-all interview with the BBC, Farage’s ex-aide Phillips recounted how the one-time UKIP chief had spent his final months at the helm of the party “trying to relive his days of the 1980s in the City”, surrounded by “lads” and drinking.

The front-runner throughout the leadership campaign, Ms James was backed by supporters of Mr Farage and Ukip’s millionaire funder Arron Banks, who predicted the party would be “dead in the water” if she was defeated.

He said: “This must change, because if it doesn’t and the new leader continues to preside over the in-fighting we have seen over the past year, then I fear for the very future of our party”.

However, observers said the UKIP will struggle for relevance after the Brexit vote and the departure of Farage. “I think there should be a law against it”.

So, Mrs May, you’re now looking, and if you’re watching TV this afternoon you’ll be watching the opposition party in waiting.Stop the faff, stop the farce and stop the fudge and get on with it. She also said she “couldn’t imagine” voting for Hillary Clinton.