Nigel Farage is staying away from the rest of the Stoke by-election campaign, even though it features his successor
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage is to give the Stoke Central by-election a wide berth, despite the fact that his successor is currently battling to enter parliament in the midlands constituency.
Current Ukip boss Paul Nuttall is among the candidates to replace former Labour MP Tristram Hunt, who quit to take over London's V&A museum.
However, while Farage last week attended the constituency to support his party's candidate, the former Ukip leader is not expected to return, with just days to go before voters head to the polls.
Morning Wire understands that Farage is likely to give the remainder of the campaign a wide berth thanks to a dispute with one-time party leadership contender Lisa Duffy.
Duffy has been helping to organise events in the constituency, and serves as chief of staff for Ukip MEP Patrick O'Flynn, whose disputes with Farage in the aftermath of the 2015 election also saw him dropped as the party's economic spokesman.
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It comes after Nuttall said yesterday that claims on his personal website, which recalled the death of "close friends" in the Hillsborough disaster, were not accurate.
A spokesman for Nuttall has since claimed responsibility for the misleading statements, and the Ukip leader said last night: "Of course I take responsibility for those things that are put out under my name, but I was genuinely taken aback when this claim was brought to my attention and am both appalled and very sorry that an impression was given that was not accurate.
"Like everybody connected to the Hillsborough disaster, memories of 15 April 1989 bring me nothing but pain and upset. Having now clarified my involvement with those events I intend to focus my energies and efforts on working to represent the people of Stoke on Trent Central in the way in which they deserve."