Tommy Robinson’s Ukip appointment will allow him to exploit the anger of hard Brexiteers

And the media isn’t helping.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon greets supporters outside the Old Bailey after his case was adjourned on September 27, 2018 in London, England. The Former English Defence League leader and British National Party member is facing a re-trial on charges of contempt. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Ukip has been plunged into a fresh crisis after former leader Nigel Farage slammed current leader Gerard Batten on Radio 4 on Friday morning. Farage was pushing for a no confidence vote to “get rid” of Batten due to his ongoing “fixation” with Islamophobic extremist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson).

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Batten is taking Ukip in a “shameful direction” where the party is fixated with “Tommy Robinson, discussing Islam, and dragging Ukip into the direction of effectively being a street activist party”. Batten, a veteran anti-Muslim activist, has appointed former English Defence League (EDL) leader Lennon as his “Special Personal Adviser on Rape Gangs and Prison Conditions and Prison Reform”.