'A happy bunch of Ukippers' - new leader's ambition

'People [are] being a little bit excited at the moment' - UKIP Leader Diane James on the party's divisions in Wales

I've been talking to the new leader of UKIP.

Diane James has an interesting turn of phrase and is fond of euphemisms. She says she's inherited "a certain amount of disarray in Wales" which she puts down to "people being a little bit excited at the moment".

What's not to get excited about? UKIP Wales leader Nathan Gill now sits as an independent AM after being ousted as leader of the party's group in Cardiff Bay by former Tory Minister Neil Hamilton.

Mr Hamilton has offered his own analysis of Mr Gill - "a political limpet and about as lively". Ms James told me her AMs were "a superb bunch of people".

'Grown-up'

She'll be meeting them "one-on-one" next Monday for what she calls "very, very grown-up conversations". One of the aims will be to try to stop Neil Hamilton using the sort of language he's used.

One of her first acts, according to Mr Hamilton was to replace his party conference slot with a coffee break and a short Nathan Gill speech. "Maybe Diane James thinks conference is too exciting and needs a sedative," suggested Mr Hamilton.

Ms James told me: "I didn't replace him with a coffee break, if you don't mind. I actually re-jigged the programme quite substantially. Sometimes, Neil makes statements that possibly he would like to rethink in terms of what he said.

"But in terms of the decision I took, as the new leader, totally within my prerogative, I wanted to reorganise the programme, because the programme, the whole conference focus and emphasis was on the Brexit result, on the referendum for the United Kingdom including Wales to leave the European Union."

That meant Nathan Gill should fill the speaking slot, although she described him to me as UKIP's Welsh representative in Brussels and Strasbourg rather than the leader of UKIP Wales.

'Disarray'

She added: "I think what we're picking up on, in terms of your questions, is the legacy that I've inherited of a certain amount of disarray in Wales. I'm not going to try and cover that up but I'm here as the new leader, I've now been in post seven days.

"It's my opportunity by meeting with them all to see what we can do to heal any rifts, stop that sort of language that Neil's used. I haven't taken personal affront. I just put it down to, shall we say, people being a little bit excited at the moment."

Asked if that meant she would read the riot act to the AMs, she said: "It's not my style to read the riot act if you don't mind. I'm sure we will have a very, very grown-up conversation, Neil and myself, and myself with the other Welsh Assembly members.

"Bear in mind I've asked each of them for one-on-one meetings so I'm anticipating that if need be we can lay all of our cards on the table, to use that metaphor. We can discuss the issues and I would hope that by the time I leave Cardiff I've got a happy bunch of Ukippers."