The Ukip civil war may be over for now but that doesn’t mean its casualties aren’t still reeling in the aftermath. Nigel Farage’s former aide Raheem Kassam has carried out a ‘tell-all’ interview with the Guardian, after he was forced to step down last month.
Speaking about his time working for Ukip, Kassam offers some parting shots against those who crossed him, saying he ‘totally’ regrets the experience:
‘I don’t mean it was a horrible experience. But I’ve taken a big hit for nothing. The only good thing that’s come out of this are friendships … But have I got anything else apart from looking at much of Ukip and thinking you are just a bunch of ragtag, unprofessional, embarrassing people who let Nigel down at every juncture? No.’
In the interview, Kassam — who blames Patrick O’Flynn, Suzanne Evans, and Douglas Carswell for organising a coup against Farage that led to his departure — likens Ukip to a ‘playground’ and describes the party’s manifesto as a ‘clusterf–k’. He also recalls having to hide certain members of the party from journalists as they were just too embarrassing to be seen:
‘It was like a playground in there … It got to the point where journalists would come into HQ and we’d have to lock certain doors because the people behind those doors were too embarrassing to be seen.’
Kassam goes on to boast that he is still very good friends with Farage, with the pair speaking most days. However, how their ‘friendship’ is faring this morning is another matter entirely. Kassam is already facing a backlash online from several Ukippers for choosing to air the party’s dirty laundry to the left wing Guardian:
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