Ukip Swindon members quit 'farcical' party in Brexit fallout

Some members of Ukip Swindon have quit the political party, describing it as a "farce" since the referendum vote to leave the European Union, according to BBC Wiltshire. It comes as a further blow to the party, currently under investigation by the Electoral Commission over its alleged misuse of tax payers' funds.

The party is alleged to have misspent £430,000 ($535,000) to fund its own electioneering and could be asked to repay £146,696 intended for European Parliament business. It faces a further £20,000 fine if found guilty of the charge.

Britain's electoral watchdog said it had accepted an "impermissible donation" from the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE), which is calling the allegation "harassment". Ukip MEP Roger Helmer said: "Call it revenge for Brexit if you like."

"They have broadened the definition of 'expenditure supporting a political party' so widely as to deny us the right to undertake any activity that might be remotely interesting to ADDE members," an ADDE spokesman said.

A Ukip representative said: "We are confident we will be found to be in the clear."

Since the shock Brexit vote in June, the party has been in turmoil. Its former leader Diana James only lasted 19 days. And Steven Woolfe, another leadership contender, is still recovering in hospital after an alleged fight with a fellow Ukip MEP. Political observers now argue, despite the party achieving insurmountable odds in winning the Brexit vote, there were now no causes left for the party to champion. The in-fighting and bankruptcy rumours are fuelling speculation time was now up for Ukip.

As Daily Mail's Dominic Sandbrook puts it: "After all, for voters who want old-fashioned values, immigration controls and grammar schools, Mrs May's Conservatives seem a more natural home than a near-bankrupt party tearing itself apart."