Nigel Farage might be gone, but don’t assume Ukip is a spent force

Several senior figures have now left the party, concerned at the direction being taken by current leader Gerard Batten. But a lurch to the right may lead Ukip into fertile territory

The passengers on the Ukip bus are changing (Getty)

The list of Nigel Farage’s wayward moments is chunky – like when he said migrants with HIV should be kept out of the UK, or referred to a Chinese person as a “ch**ky”, or said the gender pay-gap is down to women being “worth less”.

So to hear him say he is quitting Ukip because its brand has been “so tarnished” gives us cause to stop and look at what is happening with Britain’s erstwhile third party.

Farage once pitted himself against Ukip moderates like ex-Lobby journalist Patrick O’Flynn and former Conservative councillor Suzanne Evans.