GETTY Suzanne Evans is bidding to replace Nigel Farage as Ukip leader

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Ms Evans briefly led the party after Mr Farage resigned following last year’s general election, before he reversed his decision and resumed his position as Ukip leader. Since then Ms Evans has fallen foul of party bosses and was handed a six-month suspension earlier this year after being accused of disloyalty. It followed her sacking as deputy chairwoman and welfare spokeswoman. The row blew up after the former Conservative councillor joined calls for the party to deselect a London Assembly candidate over allegations of past homophobic comments. Mr Farage this morning stood down as Ukip leader as he declared his “political ambition has been achieved” by leading Britain out of the EU. Ms Evans immediately offered herself forward as a potential leadership candidate amid calls from supporters for party bosses to lift her suspension.

She told Sky News: “I find myself in this quite surreal situation really. “I'm currently suspended from Ukip because I stood up against homophobia I saw within the party and for some reason our National Executive Committee saw that a reason to suspend me and to put me out into the cold for six months. “So although my inbox and social media feed has been filling up with lots of calls for me to actually stand for the leadership of Ukip I simply can't at the moment, I'm not in a position to be able to do so.” She added: ”I would very much like to stand. “I've never made any secret of the fact that if Nigel Farage did step aside for any reason I would like to put myself forward. “I'd like to have that opportunity to do so.” Ukip MEPs Paul Nuttall, Steven Woolfe and Diane James are among the frontrunners to replace Mr Farage.

I would very much like to stand. Suzanne Evans

Despite the party’s internal difficulties, Ms Evans was full of praise for Mr Farage. She said: “Nigel has contributed to this momentous achievement of a vote by the British people to get us out of the EU. “I absolutely would like to take this opportunity to pay my full credit to him for helping to do that and to give him my heartfelt thanks.” Ms Evans also called for the next Ukip leader to work on addressing the party’s “image problem” with voters and for the party to “grow up” in its management. She said: “I know that there are so many very good people in Ukip who are not racist who are not homophobic who simply have the country's best interests at heart. “We have to clean up our act, the fact is for whatever reason rightly or wrongly we have a reputation as being a party that isn't necessarily as open and accommodating to people as it should be. “If I can stand for the leadership, and I certainly hope I do, that is one of the things I will be campaigning on, because we have to broaden our appeal. “I feel absolutely strongly that there is room for Ukip in party politics. “I think we have a great offering, I think we can appeal equally to the Labour heartlands in the north of England as well as the Conservative heartlands in the south of England.”

Nigel Farage in pictures Mon, April 3, 2017 Nigel Farage is a British politician who has been the leader of the UK Independence Party since October 2016. Play slideshow Getty 1 of 48 Nigel Farage in pictures