“Sometimes a start-up needs to change gear and change its management for it to go to the next level and the Oldham by-election to me said very clearly that I think we need a fresh face”.
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“We are a strongly united party, I’ve got terrific support within the party, he’s trying to sow division where none exists and to have done so today, on the very day of Mr Cameron’s humiliation at the European summit, when we’re gearing up for a referendum – something UKIP has fought for for 20 years, is I think, wholly inappropriate”.
Carswell criticised Farage for questioning the legitimacy of the postal votes following the party’s defeat in Oldham.
Mr Farage said the current position could not continue and challenged Mr Carswell to “put up or shut up” – indicating that the party’s ruling national executive could take a decision on his future in Ukip.
Earlier this month, Ukip came second in the Oldham West and Royton by-election but failed to win the seat off Labour.
“If you are in the business of doing democracy for a living you need to accept the democratic verdict, and the punter didn’t take what we had to offer”, he said.
But Mr Farage accused the Clacton MP of privately plotting against him since May’s general election.
Another senior figure in the party, Patrick O’Flynn MEP, backed Farage on Friday, saying a leadership contest would not be in UKIP’s best interests with the looming European Union referendum.
He pledged his loyalty to the party claiming he was “not going anywhere”, adding: “I am 100 per cent Ukip and I’m very committed to Ukip”.
He said the party should avoid being seen as “unpleasant” and “socially illiberal”.
Carswell defected to Ukip from the Conservatives in August 2014 but argues the party now needs to adopt a more liberal, free market philosophy and shed its anti-politics image. BREAKING: @DouglasCarswell tells us exclusively it’s time for @UKIP to have a fresh leader.
It’s not for me to decide who the new leader of the party is, but I think it’s fair to say that we all need to think very carefully as to whether or not we can build beyond the base that we’ve got without that change.
BBC Essex asked UKIP deputy leader Paul Nuttall this morning whether Farage should step down.
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Mr Farage added: “Douglas, frankly, must put up or shut up”. There’s a mechanism within the UKIP constitution to force a leadership election, if Douglas wants to go down that road then so be it. “Nigel Farage has the support of the Ukip MEPs”.
