London: Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage is calling for the ouster of the party's only lawmaker in Parliament, as internal squabbling threatens to split the right-wing anti-EU party.
Farage says in an article for Tuesday's Daily Telegraph newspaper that Douglas Carswell has sought to divide and damage UKIP, and "the time for him to go is now."
The newspaper also published what it described as leaked emails between Carswell and a party official suggesting Carswell made only a half-hearted attempt to get Farage a knighthood. In one, Carswell suggested Farage should get a lesser honor, "for services to headline writers."
Some UKIP members are at odds with the flamboyant Farage, who put immigration at the center of the successful campaign for Britain to leave the EU. He stepped down as leader after last year's referendum but retains a high profile and has made several trips to the United States to meet President Donald Trump.
Trump has suggested that Farage should be Britain's ambassador to the U.S.
Carswell appeared to make light of the dispute late Monday, tweeting: "Knight night."
If Farage wanted to raise any concerns with UKIP members of Parliament, Carswell said Tuesday he'd be happy to respond. "It won't take long, it's just me," Carswell said.
