'What a terrible image': Nigel Farage marks final Ukip conference with late-night skinny dip

Lord Farage?: Nigel Farage may be in line for a peerage
Alex Lentati
Mark Chandler17 September 2016
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Nigel Farage celebrated his final conference as Ukip leader by going skinny dipping in the sea off Bournemouth, it has been revealed.

His friend and Ukip financial backer Arron Banks said they got naked and went for a swim after a late-night drinking session on the eve of the conference.

The millionaire businessman told BBC Radio 4's Any Questions on Friday night that Mr Farage would not make another comeback as Ukip leader, saying "I can tell you he's not coming back".

He told the show: "I can tell you he's de-mob happy because we had dinner last night and we had a few drinks and it was late at night and we went skinny dipping off the Bournemouth pier.

"So, if ever a man was out to leave British politics, that's it."

Shocked fellow guest Angela Eagle, Labour's former shadow business secretary, declared: "Ew, what a terrible image."

Presenter Jonathan Dimbleby also appeared taken aback by the revelation and said: "Can we just record for posterity that you, Arron Banks, and Nigel Farage last night went skinny dipping off Bournemouth pier - is that what you said?"

A relaxed Mr Banks replied: "Well, Nigel actually said to me 'let's go for a paddle', I said 'come on, man up, let's just go for a swim - strip down'."

Clearly less than impressed with the image being conjured, Ms Eagle said: "I think there should be a law against it."

However, Mr Farage claimed on LBC today that he kept his underpants on during the dip.

Hesaid it had seemed an "amazingly good idea" to go for the midnight splash but insisted it "wasn't skinny-dipping".

"It was absolutely wonderful," he said.

"I'm not saying we should recommend people chuck themselves into the sea all around the place but I can assure you it's not the first time I've done such a thing and I intend to do it again."

Meanwhile, the party's only MP will take to the conference stage as the bitter divisions in the party showed no sign of healing under new leader Diane James.

Douglas Carswell has been given just five minutes to address party activists at their autumn gathering despite being the only member of Ukip to have been directly elected to Parliament.

The Clacton MP is one of a number of high profile figures in Ukip who have been frozen out by supporters of outgoing leader Nigel Farage.

Ms James had been urged to find a way to reunite the party after months of spats and infighting among its most high-profile members.

But within an hour of her leadership victory she took the decision to wipe Neil Hamilton from Saturday's agenda for the party's annual conference, which is being held in Bournemouth.

The leader of Ukip's Welsh Assembly group, who Mr Farage has been fiercely critical of, has been replaced by a 10 minute coffee break and a five minute speech by Nathan Gill, the man he ousted.

Mr Hamilton, who only found out about the so-called purge after being told by reporters, said it was a "rather bizarre way" to unite a party.

He also claimed Ms James would find it "difficult to define herself".

Although Mr Farage did not officially endorse any candidate during the contest, it was clear that he was keen for Ms James to take over.

Ms James insisted she was a "new leaf, new book, new era" but admitted Mr Farage would offer "help" and said she would be "absolutely nuts" to ignore it.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

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