UKIP leader James quits after only 18 days in charge

Newly elected UK Independence Party leader Diane James has quit unexpectedly on Tuesday after just 18 days in charge of the Eurosceptic party.

In a statement published on her Twitter account, James said that she would not be formalising her recent nomination to become UKIP leader for "personal and professional reasons."

"It has become clear that I do not have sufficient authority, nor the full support of all my MEP colleagues and party officers to implement changes I believe necessary and upon which I based my campaign," the statement said.

It is also thought that her husband's ill-health and a recent incident where she was verbally abused and spat at in a central London street may have played a role in her stepping down. James won the position in a landslide victory on 16 September, succeeding Nigel Farage.

He resigned in July following the success of UKIP's campaign to persuade voters to opt to leave the European Union in the Brexit referendum on 23 June.    (dpa)

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