Sky News

Nigel Farage's former chief of staff Raheem Kassam tells Sky News that MEP Patrick O'Flynn should consider his position as UKIP economic spokesman, after criticising the party leader in a Times article.

"It seems to me an elected MEP should not go on behaving like that," says Mr Kassam, who has denied he was sacked, insisting his contract with the party was due to end.

Author and journalist Lionel Shriver will present a film on the phenomenon of "shy Tories" - saying she is among their number - as she looks back at the election result on This Week.

There will also be a film from Andrew Rawnsley, while ex-Britain's Got Talent host Piers Morgan and Lib Dem commentator Miranda Green will talk about rejection.

Andrew Neil brings on his panel live on BBC1 from 23:45 BST (later in N Ireland). Read more about the programme.

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

Supporters of Nigel Farage have been accused of forcing the party's 22 MEPs to sign a letter backing the UKIP leader.

However, it's understood considerable pressure was placed on the MEPs to sign the letter, which is due to be published shortly.

One said they were left in no doubt that if they did not sign, their careers would suffer.

"Our arms were twisted so far up our backs we were left little option but to sign," said one.

However, it's claimed some of the MEPs were deeply reluctant. One said he was not opposed to Mr Farage previously but - because of the "strong arm tactics" - now felt he should resign.

Richard Desmond, the owner of Express Newspapers who donated £1m to UKIP during the campaign, said: "Nigel has my support 101%."

Announcing her leadership bid, Labour's Mary Creagh describes in the Daily Mail, external the moment she realised "Labour lost middle England".

She writes: "On election morning I received an email from a small business owner in Hove. 'If your lot do win today, please don't annihilate the private sector and economy'."

Image source, Getty Images

Emily Maitlis
Newsnight Presenter

The Unite union's general secretary, Len McCluskey, has blamed Scottish Labour for the party's failure to win last week's election and called for leader Jim Murphy to resign.

"Not only have they lost Scotland but I think they've been responsible for making certain that the Tories were back in power in Westminster,” he tells Newsnight's Emily Maitlis.

He says the party must tell the Scottish people "we’re sorry for letting you down, for making you feel abandoned", he says, adding: "Jim and his colleagues should just leave the scene.”

He went on to tell me his thoughts on the prospective Labour leaders. And I asked him whether an endorsement from Unite could spell the kiss of death for any one of them.

You can see the full interview - including his thoughts on prospective Labour leaders and whether an endorsement from Unite represented the "kiss of death" for them - on BBC2 from 22:30GMT.

Robin Brant
Political Correspondent

Mary Creagh will declare her candidacy in the contest to be the next labour leader tonight. The shadow international development secretary is expected to announce she's standing in an article for the Daily Mail. The Wakefield MP and married mother-of-two is the fifth candidate to replace Ed Miliband.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch, who led UKIP into the 2010 general election and heads the party in the Lords, says: "Nigel fought a brilliant election campaign and what an achievement it was to get nearly four million votes. Nigel has my full support as leader."​

One of Nigel Farage's predecessors at the UKIP helm, Roger Knapman, tells BBC Radio 4's PM that it's "time for the party to have an opportunity to express a view" on its leadership.

Asked whether Mr Farage should stand again, he responds that it's "entirely a matter for him".

"If there are people who are unhappy with the situation then I do think they need a chance to let off steam," he says.

Mr Knapman adds that UKIP should "certainly not" accept the £650,000 in "Short money" available to opposition parties to help cover parliamentary costs. Its sole MP Douglas Carswell has so far resisted pressure from the party to claim the sum to fund up to 15 additional members of staff.

Because UKIP secured almost 3.9 million votes, but only one Commons seat, Mr Carswell is entitled to far more Short money than any other MP.

Former UKIP deputy leader David Campbell Bannerman - now a Conservative MEP - tells the BBC News Channel that his former party has "outgrown" its leader.

He says Nigel Farage should step down to focus on campaigning during the In/Out referendum on membership of the European Union promised by the PM.

"Nigel Farage should work on the referendum and not be fighting this great battle within the United Kingdom Independence Party," he says.

Suggesting that Conservatives' referendum pledge won votes from UKIP's right-leaning supporters, Mr Bannerman adds: "UKIP will have to go left if it's to stay in existence."

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

The departures from UKIP of Raheem Kassam and Matthew Richardson are significant in that they were both identified by critics as architects of the party's failure to secure more seats, says the BBC's Norman Smith.

They were blamed for the approach - dubbed "shock and awful" - adopted by Nigel Farage during TV debates, which saw him attack immigrants over HIV treatment and criticise the BBC's audience selection process.

But our assistant political editor says the situation has gone beyond a row over the two characters involved.

Robin Brant
Political Correspondent

Raheem Kassam, formerly Nigel Farage's chief of staff, no longer works for UKIP, according to our political correspondent Robin Brant.

He's one of the aides who was attacked as "inexperienced and aggressive" by the party's economic spokesman Patrick O'Flynn.

We don't know is the answer. He might still be at lunch we're honestly not sure. But he'll be on Question Time tonight so that should be entertaining, right? 

So, Aiden and Matt have left the building and you're stuck with Dominic and Andy for the rest of the evening. Here's a quick recap of the day's main stories:

A row has erupted between senior UKIP figures, after its economic spokesman said leader Nigel Farage had become a "snarling, thin-skinned, aggressive" man

However, Patrick O'Flynn has since clarified that he wants Mr Farage to remain leader and that his criticism was aimed at "aggressive" aides

Other senior figures are calling for Mr Farage to go but the UKIP leader says he was asked to stay in the job by the party's National Executive Committee

Chancellor George Osborne has been promising powers over transport, policing, housing and planning to English cities that accept regional mayors

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has called for a "more ambitious and optimistic" message from Labour, as she launched her leadership bid

A statement from UKIP deputy leader Paul Nuttall on the Nigel Farage situation:

BBC News Channel

Stuart Wheeler says he hasn't managed to speak to Nigel Farage directly.

BBC News Channel

Former UKIP party treasurer Stuart Wheeler says he believes the row between Douglas Carswell and UKIP officials over Short money, external has been sorted out.

"I think they've sorted it out to some extent but I'm not close enough to it. I stopped being treasurer about a year ago so I'm not on the inside track now," he tells the BBC News channel.

He says the money "has to be spent for Parliamentary business purposes".

Douglas Carswell was approached by UKIP's party secretary on Monday and asked to recruit 15 extra staff for his Parliamentary office, but the Clacton MP rejected the proposal.