Ukip's Steven Woolfe issues statement after reported punch at party meeting

'I am feeling brighter, happier and smiling as ever', Ukip MEP says from hospital bed

Ukip MEP Steven Woolfe has regained consciousness after an “altercation” at the European Parliament.

Mr Woolfe was rushed to hospital after collapsing minutes after the incident in which A Ukip colleague allegedly punched him in the face.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Woolfe said: “The CT scan has shown that there is no blood clot in the brain.

“At the moment I am feeling brighter, happier and smiling as ever.

“As a precaution, I am being kept overnight awaiting secondary tests to make sure everything is fine.

He added: “I would like everyone to know that the parliamentary staff, the Ukip MEPs with me and the hospital staff have been brilliant.

“I am sitting up, and said to be looking well. The only consequence at the moment is a bit of numbness on the left hand side of my face.”

According to Herman Kelly, the director of a European Parliament group affiliated with Ukip, Mr Woolfe suffered two “epileptic-like fits”.

“He did pass out. That has now passed,” he added.

Mr Woolfe was hospitalised after collapsing, minutes after an “altercation” in which a Ukip MEP is alleged to have punched Mr Woolfe in the face.

He was seen to collapse on one of the European Parliament’s internal bridges.

The “altercation” reportedly occurred during a Ukip meeting to “clear the air” amid the party’s ongoing leadership crisis.

Mr Woolfe had been said to be considering a defection to the Conservative party.

But in a statement he said despite being “enthused” by Theresa May, he “came to the conclusion that only a strong Ukip can guarantee Brexit is delivered in full, and only our party can stand up for the communities of the Midlands and the north.”

On Wednesday, Mr Woolfe announced his intention to run as the party’s leader after Diane James stepped down having spent just 18 days at the helm.