A UKIP MEP who was punched by a party colleague at the European Parliament is being kept in hospital after fears earlier that his life was in danger.

Steven Woolfe, who hopes to become the party's new leader, said his condition did not now appear to be serious.

He said scans showed there was no blood clot or bleeding on his brain.

Mr Woolfe, 49, collapsed and was briefly unconscious after what was described as a heated discussion among UKIP MEPs.

Farage to launch Woolfe altercation inquiry

He suffered two seizures - one of them "quite major" following the altercation, according to Nigel Farage.


Sky's Robert Nisbet said Mr Woolfe and another MEP had left the meeting and squared up on a bridge outside.

After Mr Woolfe was punched, he hit his head on an iron railing.

The two men then put their jackets back on and returned to the meeting. Mr Woolfe collapsed some time later outside the main chamber.

Image: Mr Woolfe said he still had some numbness in his face

Medics were called to the building in Strasbourg, France, after he said he had lost feeling in one side of his body.

The morning meeting was reportedly called to "clear the air" with other MEPs unhappy with Mr Woolfe's admission he had considered defecting to the Tories.

One of the party's biggest donors, Arron Banks, said he was "shocked" and called for "the immediate suspension" of UKIP's National Executive Committee.

In a furious statement he threatened to leave UKIP if the committee blocked Mr Woolfe's leadership bid.

He also attacked Neil Hamilton, its leader in the Welsh Assembly, and the party's only MP, Douglas Carswell.

He warned the party was at "breaking point" and said he was "utterly disgusted" with Mr Hamilton, who he accused of "spewing his bile before anyone knew if Steven was going to be ok".

Hamilton: 'Growing unpleasantness in UKIP'

"He truly is a creature from the gutter who will do anything to get his mug on our screens," said Mr Banks.

In a statement from hospital, Mr Woolfe said he still had numbness in his face but was "feeling brighter, happier, and smiling as ever".

"As a precaution, I am being kept in overnight awaiting secondary tests to make sure everything is fine," he added.

Nigel Farage said Mr Woolfe had "suffered two seizures - one quite major one" and had "hit the ground pretty hard" when he collapsed.

"We're talking about a dispute which ended up physically," Mr Farage said, adding there were briefly concerns whether Mr Woolfe "was going to make it".

I must thank the parliamentary staff, the UKIP MEPs with me and hospital staff for their care and love. — Steven Woolfe MEP (@Steven_Woolfe) October 6, 2016

"You see third-world parliaments where this sort of thing happens - it's not good," said UKIP's interim leader - temporarily back in charge after Diane James stepped down earlier this week.

UKIP has started an inquiry but Mr Farage would not comment on who was responsible.

"It's two grown men getting involved in an altercation," he said. "It's not very seemly behaviour but I'm not today going to get involved in the blame game and name names and say who did what."

UKIP has long had a reputation of internal feuding, with a number of high-profile figures making no secret of their dislike for each other.

The only other candidate to declare in the leadership contest, Mr Farage's former aide Raheem Kassam, warned on Wednesday the party had to heal "internal fractures".

"There are so many people shaking hands with one another and then knifing them in private. It has to stop," he said.