At the Annual Ukip Conference held this year in Birmingham, I spoke at the Gala dinner. My message was very simple: one of the reasons for Ukip's success was that we’d excluded extremists and focused on organising and fighting elections. I warned that any change to this policy would damage the party beyond repair.

As I walked back to my seat, I was met by several angry young men, red in the face and mildly abusive, who all seemed to be obsessed with Islam and Tommy Robinson.

I wondered at that time if I’d just given my last Ukip speech. For 25 years of my life, Ukip has dominated my thoughts and actions. I have been determined in my desire to professionalise the party, to spread our message, and to contest elections at all levels. I have spoken at about 1,500 public meetings over the last two-and-a-half decades and covered hundreds of thousands of miles doing so.

While the party has had its ups and downs, its achievements have been extraordinary. The focus was always clear: take votes from the establishment parties to force change and to fight for the independence of our country.

Ukippers may often have been regarded as an individualistic and eccentric bunch but, in the main, I know these party members have been decent and respectable people. So, too, are the millions who have voted for Ukip since 1993. As I’ve said many times before, under my leadership of Ukip, the party banned former members of the BNP and EDL from joining. Many accusations of racism and extremism were thrown at us, but I strongly maintain they were untrue.