Senior Ukip figure Suzanne Evans has announced she wants to be its candidate for London mayor - even though she admitted she would not win the contest.

Ukip's deputy chairman Ms Evans, who has had run-ins with the party leadership in recent months, said Nigel Farage was "very pleased" that she had put her name forward.

But Ms Evans acknowledged that she did not think London would vote for a Ukip mayor "any time soon" even though the capital was "hampered" by immigration and European Union red tape.

She told LBC Radio she had "thrown my hat into the ring" to stand for election in London as mayor or in the assembly.

"I think, let's be realistic, I don't think London is going to have a Ukip mayor any time soon," she said, but added: "You never know, I could be very lucky."

Ms Evans said it was "time for London to have a different view, a different approach".

"The Ukip vote is growing quite strongly in London, we are doing increasingly well in the the general election, we did very well in the European elections and I think there are a growing amount of people in London who want to see things from a Ukip perspective," she said.

"London is one of the areas of the country that is very much impacted by EU regulation, which hampers small businesses being developed, it's hampered by immigration which makes finding a job very difficult and finding housing very difficult.

"I think Ukip will have a fresh voice to bring to some of the issues that affect London."

In June Ukip was forced to insist that Ms Evans has not been sacked as a spokeswoman despite a leaked internal email ordering press officers to keep her off the airwaves and she was caught up in feuding within the party after Mr Farage resigned and was then reinstated as leader following the general election.

But Ms Evans insisted there were no difficulties with the leadership over her ambitions in London: "I usually have the support of Nigel Farage. I think there was a lot of nonsense talked about over the general election, a lot of rumours flying around that simply weren't true.

"In fact I have spoken to him about it and he is very pleased that I am standing, or putting myself forward anyway."

She will face a challenge for the mayoral nomination from Ukip's culture spokesman Peter Whittle, who has already declared his intention to stand.