Henry Bolton insists he won’t quit as Ukip leader after splitting with lover over racist texts
2 min read
Henry Bolton has insisted he will not stand down as Ukip leader but has broken up with his girlfriend after it was revealed that she had sent racist text messages.
Mr Bolton dumped Jo Marney amid growing pressure on his position following her suspension from the party over the offensive remarks.
Leaked texts included calling black people “ugly” and saying Prince Harry's fiancée, Meghan Markle, had a "tiny brain" and would "taint" the Royal Family.
The 25-year-old glamour model, who later apologised, also claimed people from ethnic minorities are “pushing their way to the top slowly slowly”, before adding: “Next will be a Muslim PM. And a black king”.
The revelations prompted some senior Ukip figures to call for Mr Bolton to stand aside - including MEP Bill Etheridge and former leadership candidate Ben Walker.
The pair were among five figures to have drafted a proposal to transform the party, which included ousting Mr Bolton in order to "save the party from imminent insolvency".
The 54-year-old has repeatedly insisted that he will not quit however, telling the Mail Online when asked if he would stand down yesterday: 'No', before stressing: 'You don't know the context'.
And in a defiant statement this morning Mr Bolton told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I am not intending to resign at all,” before adding: “That is a decision for the party… I won’t be resigning.”
When asked if he knew she had those views he said he was “embarrassed” and “shocked”, but had “no idea”.
“I’ve already said. Those are appalling comments and I do not stand by or defend them… Categorically, I am not resigning.”
On ending their relationship, he said: “As of last night the romantic side of our relationship has ended, we had that conversation last night when I returned from Yorkshire…
“At the moment it is obviously quite incompatible to continue the relationship. I’m going to be continuing to support her family because Jo is absolutely distraught by this.”
He later told BBC Breakfast that those trying to remove him were being “divisive” and “self-interested” and suggested they “start working towards the betterment of the party”.
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