Ukip leader Henry Bolton admits he still has 'strong affections' for ex-girlfriend Jo Marney

Mr Bolton said he still has "strong feelings" for Ms Marney
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Alexandra Richards11 February 2018

Ukip leader Henry Bolton has said he has "strong affections" for ex- girlfriend Jo Marney whose "racist" texts about Meghan Markle led to calls for him to be sacked.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr show, Mr Bolton said: "There are strong affections there yes" when asked if he was "still in love" with the 25-year-old.

Mr Bolton told Mr Marr the "general consensus" was that there was a "problem with my judgment around that whole episode", but he added: "the point is that actually we are off, and we have been for a very long time, off the field in terms of the debate on leaving the European Union.

"What we should be doing is shaping the future of this country's independence, and that's what we should be focusing on, not whether or not somebody, way before I met them, actually sent private messages that actually had nothing to do with me and I had no means of knowing about."

Many called for the Ukip leader to resign after leaked text messages from his former girlfriend revealed highly offensive comments about Meghan Markle and black people.

Sixteen members of Ukip resigned in protest and Mr Bolton received a vote of no confidence in his leadership by the party’s National Executive Committee.

Mr Bolton has refused to step down as party leader and cannot be dismissed unless voted out by party membership.

He has since been spotted out in public with Ms Marney but maintains that romantic side of the relationship is “off” for now.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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