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'Anti-establishment' Nigel Farage squirmed today as he was asked SIX TIMES about wanting a knighthood.

The ex-Ukip leader was put under the spotlight by the BBC in a toe-curling exchange on live radio as his party descends into a new civil war.

Mr Farage has launched a brutal vendetta against Ukip's only MP Douglas Carswell, saying he tried to "sabotage" him and is really a Tory.

But interviewer John Humphrys thought there just might be a link to reports Mr Carswell was against the pint-swigging right-winger getting a knighthood.

As the Radio 4 Today presenter grilled Mr Farage he initially ducked the question, turning his fire back on Mr Carswell.

Scroll down for the full transcript

(Image: Getty)

Eventually he said he didn't "particularly" want a knighthood - but then added tantalisingly: "If something came along I might accept it."

Mr Farage gave a similar response yesterday, when he ignored a question about whether he was so anti-establishment he wouldn't take a gong.

Ex-Tory Mr Carswell today denied reports he has secretly met Conservative MPs in a bid to defect back to the party.

Mr Farage fumed: "He will do anything he can to damage leading figures in Ukip. He's working for the Conservatives, it's plain for all to see."

Former Farage aide Michael Heaver compared Mr Carswell to a Soviet spy.

"Forget U-K-I-P, it was more KGB," he told the BBC. "This is not conspiracy. This is fact."

(Image: Reuters)

Making the row even more absurd, Ukip donor Arron Banks is now planning to run against only MP Mr Carswell at the next election.

Millionaire Banks' spokesman said the knighthood row was the "final straw".

Ukip had formally demanded a knighthood for Mr Farage in January claiming he was a "figure of international signiﬁcance".

(Image: PA)

But in an e-mail leaked to the Telegraph Mr Carswell - who was responsible for pushing the bid for a knighthood in Westminster - suggested Mr Farage could be handed an OBE "for services to headline-writing".

That suggested Mr Carswell did not want Mr Farage, who he has fought in the past, to be knighted.

The MP denied this, saying: "I made every effort to make sure Ukip got its fair share of peerages and honours."

But he did tweet "knight night" as the story broke.

That toe-curling exchange in full

FARAGE: The time has now come to have a clean break to make sure we don't have influences like [Douglas] Carswell.

BBC INTERVIEWER: This isn't because you rather dislike him because he stopped you getting a knighthood? It's not sour grapes is it?

I dislike him because he damaged me, Ukip and the Leave campaign...

Stopped you getting a knighthood?

...no, back in December 2015. And I said then to the party's ruling body we've got to get rid of this guy, they didn't listen to me, he did his best, all through the referendum, to undermine me. He wasn't able to do so, I'm pleased to say. Paul Nuttall needs to be given a clear run at this.

And it's got nothing to do with your knighthood at all then?

No I've been campaigning to get rid of him for a very long time.

But it's got nothing to do with your knighthood, is the question?

Well, no, erm, whether I would have ever got one or not I have no idea, but the point, the point is, is he will do anything he can to damage leading figures in Ukip. He's working for the Conservatives, it's plain for all to see.

What about you, would you like a knighthood?

Er, I'd like to see Britain leave the European Union.

Would you like a knighthood?

Not particularly.

Oh! Well that solves it then in that case, you don't want one, they won't offer one. What about a peerage then?

Nope, wouldn't want one at all.

So you don't want anything?

I would not want a peerage. If something else came along I might accept it.