Ukip and Yorkshire MEP part company over ‘sluts’ row

In a statement, he said he would retain his membership of the party and support his 2004 campaign manager Jane Collins in her attempt to become a Ukip MEP in 2014.

That appeared to rule out Mr Bloom from standing for a third term but his spokeswoman was unable to confirm his intentions.

He was suspended on Friday after jokingly calling women activists “sluts” and had come under fire earlier in the year for describing some third world countries as “bongo bongo land”.

Mr Bloom said the “New Ukip” was “not really right for me any more”. His spokeswoman said it was not clear whether he would seek re-election for a third term next May.

The MEP was stripped of the party whip last week after he was recorded joking about women “who did not clean behind their fridges” and seen in an altercation with a TV journalist.

He said: “I have felt for some time now that the New Ukip is not really right for me anymore perhaps than New Labour was right for the Denis ‘The beast of Bolsover’ Skinner.

“However our message is clear: self government. Our wonderful and loyal membership will win through with their dedication and hard work. It has been a pleasure to work with them for 15 years.

“May I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the thousands of people who have supported me with messages of goodwill in the recent months and particularly in recent days. There have been simply too many to make a personal response, forgive me.

“I shall sit out my term as an independent and give my wholehearted support to Jane Collins who is almost certainly going to be the next Ukip MEP and probably a second seat yet to be decided.

“I shall of course retain my membership.”

Ukip leader Nigel Farage said Mr Bloom’s antics had distracted attention from the party’s core message, but stressed they could still make serious inroads at Westminster in 2015 and potentially hold the balance of power after the election.

Mr Bloom insisted the “sluts” remark was a joke but Mr Farage said the MEP, who is no stranger to controversy, had “just gone way over the line”.

Following the incident, Ukip chairman Steve Crowther said: “I have withdrawn the whip from Godfrey Bloom, pending a formal disciplinary hearing.”

Party sources today said the temporary suspension had effectively been made permanent and they did not expect Mr Bloom to be a candidate again in May.

Mr Farage later said he did not want to see Mr Bloom kicked out of the party altogether, claiming he had not crossed the lines of extremism or racism.

He said: “I’m very sorry it has come to this, he’s been with us for 15 years, he’s sat in the European Parliament since 2004, he absolutely 100% believes in everything Ukip stands for and he’s been a good, loyal MEP for us. It’s a sorry state of affairs.

“All the things Godfrey has said have not been meant in malice but they have all been tremendous distractions from the main messages Ukip is trying to push out... nearly everything he has said has been meant as a joke.

“I don’t want to see him hounded out of the party... we’re very clear, racism, extremism, we wouldn’t tolerate anything like that.”