UKIP: Another rigged vote?

Steve Crowther: Farage sycophant

UKIP has a history of botched, some may say "corrupted" internal elections. It looks as if another one is one the way.

UKIP members are voting on whether the party stays true to its original mandate - EU withdrawal - or goes into a Pan-European Party (PEP).

Eyebrows were raised when it transpired that the unnumbered ballot papers would be sorted at a private address, but now the integrity and impartiality of UKIP party chairman - sorry Executive chairman - Steve Crowther is being called into question.

An influential figure has suggested that Crowther misled members over the potential access to funds that UKIP would enjoy as part of a Pan-European Party. Crowther has now admitted in an e-mail that "I did, inadvertently, state that 'foundation' funding had certain restrictions, where I should have said that PEP funding had those restrictions." Crowther would have know that the restrictions, which are tight, would apply to a PEP, and that the suggestions in 'Independence' magazine that UKIP could benefit from such funds domestically were nothing more than a blatant lie intended to deceive the membership.

Based on this alone there is surely reason to re-run the ballot from the start, and to discipline the liars.