UKIP chairman Paul Nuttall to stand down as party chairman

Nov 7 2009 Marc Waddington

BOOTLE-BORN UKIP MEP Paul Nuttall has announced he is stepping down as chairman of the party.

Mr Nuttall, who won a North West seat at the recent European elections, said he wanted to spend more time campaigning to become MP for the Bootle constituency.

The move comes as the party searches for a new leader, following the announcement by current chief Nigel Farage he will stand down to challenge the speaker of the Commons John Bercow for his Buckingham seat.

Mr Nuttall said: “The most important thing in UKIP is the relationship between the leader and the chairman, and Nigel and I have had the best relationship you can imagine. We’ve been the most successful team the party has had.

“When a new leader comes in, they have the power to select the new chairman, and so I’ve decided to stand down to give them that chance.

“It gives me the chance to concentrate on fighting for the Bootle seat.”