Greg Lance - Watkins (Greg_L-W)
A former RAF fighter pilot who was appointed as chief executive of Ukip with a remit to professionalise the party is to stand down by mutual agreement.
Will Gilpin is to leave his post after party sources indicated the former military officer struggled with many Ukip figures who cheerfully admit they are unmanageable.
One senior figure said there were no hard feelings and Gilpin will remain a party member. The source said: “It did not work out as well as either of us hoped. There is no disquiet. It is a shame but you shake hands and move on.”
Gilpin, who flew Tornado aircraft for the RAF, told the BBC after his appointment last year that he wanted to “deal with the inertia of a party that is used to doing things in a very relaxed, very unco-ordinated manner”.
His departure may be seen as a blow to the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, who has spoken of trying to professionalise the party ahead of next year’s European parliamentary elections that it hopes to win.
But Farage was playing down the significance of Gilpin’s departure, which follows the claim by the party’s MEP Godfrey Bloom that Britain sends aid to “Bongo Bongo Land”.
A Ukip spokesman told the BBC, which broke the news of Gilpin’s departure: “We thank him for his time, effort and the hard work he has put in and wish him all the best for the future.”
Ukip-vs-EUkip 
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