Steven Woolfe has admitted failing to declare a drink-driving conviction when he stood for a police and crime commissioner role.

The barrister-turned-MEP is considered the front runner to succeed Nigel Farage as UKIP's next leader.

But he says he "forgot about the conviction" when he stood in the Greater Manchester PCC election in 2012.

Sky's political correspondent Darren McCaffrey said Mr Woolfe had initially been fined £350 and disqualified from driving for one year on the charge of being drunk in charge of a scooter.

This was then reduced to nine months' disqualification and the requirement to complete an awareness course.


McCaffrey said: "There will now be questions about Steven Woolfe's ability to stand potentially as UKIP's leader."

The Electoral Commission website says: "It is a criminal offence to make a false statement on your nomination papers as to your qualification for being elected, so if you are in any doubt you should contact your employer, consult the legislation or, if necessary, take your own independent legal advice."

Mr Woolfe came last in the PCC election, with just 8.55% of the vote.

It is not the first dent in his UKIP leadership hopes - on Sunday he missed the party's deadline to compete in the leadership race.

Image: Mr Woolfe presented his PayPal receipt in defence of his application

A spokesman blamed technical problems with the party system for the fact that Mr Woolfe applied 25 minutes before the midday deadline but the application did not go through until 12.17.

There are also questions over whether he has been a member of the party for long enough to run for the leadership.

The party's former deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans told Sky News: "Given the membership, given his nomination paper, it's not looking good for him. I think he's probably ineligible."

She added: "If toast is the word you want to use, then perhaps he's going to be toast."

McCaffrey said: "I wouldn't go quite as far as saying he's toast but he has certainly taken a significant blow."

Mr Woolfe, 48, had won the backing of multi-millionaire donor Arron Banks, and vowed to help UKIP win seats in Labour's heartlands where millions of voters backed Brexit.

An MEP for the North West since 2014, he is currently the party's spokesman on migration.