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UKIP leader quits 18 days after being elected: media

Xinhua, October 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

The leader of UK's Independence Party (UKIP) Diane James had quit her job only 18 days after she was sworn in as the party's first female leader, local media reported Tuesday night.

Sky News quoted "very senior" sources within the party as saying that James had stepped down and is likely to officially confirm her resignation on Wednesday.

The sources said that reasons for her step-down are personal.

The surprising move came less than three weeks after James took over from Nigel Farage as UKIP's leader following a leadership contest in September, months after the June 23 Brexit Referendum.

James, a 56-year-old businesswoman, had said she would campaign for UKIP to be battle ready for the next general election, due in 2020, after she was elected to lead the third largest British party.

UKIP was formed in 1993, but still only has one MP in the House of Commons. It has 22 MEPs sitting in the European Parliament and more than 400 local councilors. Endit