The announcement means he has abandoned plans to contest more than 600 candidates in the upcoming ballot.

British prime minister Johnson’s fixation on a no-deal exit from the European Union is without justification. Brexiteers claim a trade relationship with the US will redefine trade for the world in the 21st century.

Ukip's new leader Henry Bolton has said the party has avoided becoming the "UK Nazi Party" with his election at the expense of a candidate who described Islam as "evil".

The UK’s former finance minister Nigel Lawson has said he would lead the campaign in David Cameron’s Conservative Party for Britain to exit the EU, saying the prime minister would fail to win significant concessions in his reform bid.

A former Conservative supporter in the UK called Arron Banks has donated £1m to Ukip after William Hague called him a “nobody”, while a Tory veteran's son has said he will join the party.