Steven Woolfe, left, with Ukip leader Nigel Farage (Picture: PA)

A senior Ukip figure once described as the party’s answer to Barack Obama has revealed he would like to succeed Nigel Farage.

MEP Steven Woolfe suggested he could stand to succeed Mr Farage as leader of the party, describing it as ‘one of the most exciting jobs to do’.

Asked about the top job in an interview with the Huffington Post UK he compared the question to what happened to Manchester United after legendary manager Alex Ferguson left.

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‘Would I step up is a bit like the question of what would happen after Ferguson left Man United,’ replied Mr Woolfe, a former City lawyer and Ukip’s migration and financial affairs spokesman

‘Do you want to be Louis Van Gal or David Moyes? Do you really want to do it?

‘I would think extremely long and hard [about running for leader], I’d be honoured to lead [Ukip] if the people of the party thought I was capable of doing it… I think there is a greater message we can take on, I think there is an opportunity to build this party.’

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Mr Woolfe, who has an Irish grandmother and an African-American grandfather and is from the Moss Side area of Manchester, defended his party leader’s recent comments has immigration has led to ‘ghettoes’ and ‘no-go zones’ in Europe.

He said: ‘Nigel speaks the language that the vast majority of ordinary people understand.’

Mr Woolfe also laughed off comparisons with the US president.

‘Obama is a) much taller than me and I think he is a bit better looking than I am. We are both mixed-race and both lawyers…so there you go.’

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