Allies of Paul Nuttall are reportedly going round telling UKIP MEPs that Steven Woolfe isn’t fit to be leader. In response, rival ‘Kippers are now working out how best to ‘stop Nuttall’. He had his leadership campaign prepared for months, is backed by Neil Hamilton and is expected to land a lot of support from MEPs who he’s been schmoozing for some time. Farage’s allies are particularly keen that he doesn’t become leader. Nuttall’s brand of left-wing economics combined with an unsubtle stance on immigration could be a success in the North…

Woolfe himself is still considering whether or not to run. Flamboyant Scot David Coburn tells Guido he is considering a bid:

“I will wait to see who puts their hat in the ring. There are those I would surely run against, there are those I would surely support. Let’s see.”

UKIP’s NEC are listening to demands that Suzanne Evans be allowed to stand. Peter Whittle is being encouraged to run by friends of Nigel. If he doesn’t fancy it and Suzanne does stand then expect an Arron Banks / Raheem Kassam bid. London mayoral candidate David Kurten apparently wants to run. Diane James has told friends she isn’t going to throw her hat in. Guido is told there is some hesitation about standing because “no one wants to be David Moyes succeeding Alex Ferguson”, in other words a failure who never managed to fill his predecessor’s shoes and stood down within a year. Nuttall is making the early running…