Five members of the UKIP NEC which voted to block Steven Woolfe from the ballot had potential conflicts of interest, leaked messages reveal. Woolfe was barred from standing by an NEC majority of 9-3. Among those who voted were Rob McWhirter, who Guido can reveal previously endorsed Lisa Duffy on a private UKIP discussion forum. On 13 July, McWhiter wrote:

“I have just posted my form assenting to her candidacy”

Another NEC voter, John Bickley, also previously posted on the UKIP forum that he is backing Duffy. He wrote on 10 July:

“She will be a very good candidate.”

The vote to stop Woolfe, Duffy’s main rival, took place three weeks later…

A third NEC voter was Alan Bown, who Lisa Duffy has publicly confirmed is her main financial backer. A fourth, Adrianne Smythe, later admitted in an email to UKIP’s lawyers that she was conflicted because “I have assented for one of the candidates”. Douglas Carswell says he doesn’t have a dog in the fight though obviously he’s not a fan of Farage, who wanted Woolfe to win. Allies of Steven Woolfe say this is evidence the NEC vote was a sham and are considering a legal challenge…