Ukip leader Paul Nuttall will stand in the General Election… probably
UKIP leader Paul Nuttall "probably will" stand in the June 8 General Election, according to his deputy.
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Peter Whittle said Mr Nuttall was "still thinking about it" after the party leader refused to commit to fighting a Westminster seat.
Mr Whittle, a member of the London Assembly, said he was also considering standing for Parliament.
Ukip leader Paul Nuttall will 'probably' stand in the General Election according to his deputy
At a campaign event yesterday, Mr Nuttall was asked several times whether he would stand.
Following the event, Mr Nuttall then waited in an apparently locked room, emerging to a barrage of reporters' questions as he left the Marriott County Hall hotel in London.
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Mr Nuttall is expected to stand in the election given his role as a party leader, but he will be keen to avoid a repeat of his defeat in the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election in February.
I'm sure Paul probably will stand
Asked if there was any other example of an eligible party leader failing to stand at a general election, Mr Whittle said: "I'm not sure about that. We had a leader in Nigel Farage, an incredibly effective one, who was leader whilst we had an MP in Parliament - Douglas Carswell.
"I'm sure Paul probably will stand, I don't know, I think he is still thinking about it - as indeed am I."
Mr Nuttall will be keen to avoid a repeated of his Stoke-on-Trent by-election defeat
On Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Whittle insisted Mr Nuttall "did not lock himself in a room" at the event.
"Some people have got it in for Paul," he suggested, claiming his critics wanted to "trivialise" an important policy launch.