Ukip embroiled in civil war as leadership candidate Suzanne Evans says she’ll move party to ‘centre’ away from ‘far-right policies’

A NEW UKIP civil war exploded last night after a leadership candidate declared the party must be saved from “the far right”.

Announcing she is running for the anti-EU party’s top job, former party deputy chairman Suzanne Evans said she wanted to take it towards “the common sense centre” and away from its “toxic” recent past.

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She also slammed rival contender Raheem Kassam for pushing extreme views, saying: “I don’t see a groundswell of opinion in this country for more far-right wing policies”.

The former BBC journalist and Tory councillor’s onslaught sparked a furious response from outgoing leader Nigel Farage, who Kassam served as chief of staff.

Having claimed he would not take sides in the contest, Mr Farage hit back at her: “I won’t be voting for her, not after that”.

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Ms Evans was suspended during Mr Farage’s reign after a bitter fall out with him.

A second candidate for UKIP’s top job also declared he was running yesterday, the party’s former deputy boss Paul Nuttall.

The North West MEP revealed he had changed his mind about wanting the top job, having not run in its disastrous leadership contest over the summer.

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But UKIP now faces an “existential crisis”, Mr Nuttall claimed, and he may be the only candidate that can save it from disappearing.

Declaring himself the “unity candidate”, Mr Nuttall added: “I’m not going to gild the lily.

“UKIP at the moment is looking over the edge of a political cliff, it’ll either step off or it will step back.”

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Mr Nuttall, who leads UKIP’s MEPs in Brussels, was swiftly installed as the odds-on favourite in the six week-long race, with bookies giving him a price of 1/2.

Journalist Mr Kassam is in second place on 5/2, having won the backing of multi-millionaire UKIP donor Arron Banks.

Ms Evans is third at 6/1.

Mr Kassam also hit back at her last night and said: “How many members of the far-right are going to join a party led by a chap called Raheem Kassam?”