Nigel Farage says Ukip's appointment of Tommy Robinson is 'dragging us in a shameful direction'

‘It’s time we got rid of Gerald Batten and reclaimed the party,’ says former leader

Nigel Farage says he is “appalled” by Ukip’s decision to appoint Tommy Robinson as an adviser and has vowed to bring down its leader Gerard Batten.

The MEP for Southeast England, who headed the party when it used the anti-immigration “breaking point” poster to campaign for Brexit, claimed the involvement of the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL) was “dragging us in a shameful direction”.

He said if Ukip continued trying to turn Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, into a “big player in the Brexit vote” then it was “finished”.

“I’m appalled,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday. “Gerard Batten has this sort of fixation with Tommy Robinson and discussing Islam and dragging Ukip into the direction of effectively being a street activist party.”

Mr Farage claimed it had “blown a hole” in what he said were his efforts to make Ukip “a non-racist, non sectarian party”.

He said he would be writing to the party’s national executive committee to call for a vote of no confidence in Mr Batten, whose term of office is due to end in March 2019.

“We are going to have one last go of getting rid of a leader who is dragging us in a shameful direction,” he added.

“I’m going to fight and save it [Ukip] but if it carries on going in this direction, electorally it is finished.”

Asked about his use of the “breaking point” poster, he claimed “uncontrolled mass immigration, illegal immigration and terrorism” were “real issues” that needed to be discussed.

“If you don’t have this conversation you don’t get parties like Ukip doing well, you don’t get referendums, and then the far right does exist,” he said.

“If I have one real achievement in politics, I did pretty much single-handedly kill off the BNP (British National Party).”

But he then added: “This is not about me, this is about Ukip being a sane electoral vehicle.

“They want to put Tommy Robinson up there as a big player in the Brexit debate too – that will damage the Leave cause in this country.

“From every single aspect it is time we got rid of Gerard Batten and reclaimed the party.”

On Friday, Mr Batten described Robinson, who is not a member of Ukip, as having “great knowledge” about the subjects of gang rape and prison reform.

Robinson has previous convictions for assault, using a false passport to travel to the US, public order offences and mortgage fraud.

He was recently jailed for 13 months for contempt of court but the sentence was quashed and the case has been referred to the Attorney General.