Nigel Farage goes ‘skinny-dipping’ with pals in thunderstorm on last night as UKIP leader
Revelation was made by top donor Arron Banks on Radio 4’s ‘Any Questions’ last night following party conference in Bournemouth
NIGEL Farage celebrated his last night as UKIP’s leader by going skinny-dipping with two friends during a thunderstorm.
Arron Banks, who used to be a top donor to the party, revealed that he, Mr Farage and press advisor Andy Wigmore took the nude swim after a few drinks on Thursday night.
The trio had been attending the party’s conference in Bournemouth this week so the leading Brexiteer, who has led UKIP for a decade, could hand over the leadership.
Mr Banks was speaking on Radio 4’s ‘Any Questions?’ when he made the revelations and explained that heavy rain drenched their clothes after they got into the Dorset sea.
He said: “We had dinner last night, a few drinks, it was late at night and we went skinny dipping off Bournemouth Pier.
“If ever a man's about to leave British politics, that's it.”
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Labour MP Angela Eagle, who was also appearing on the show, said: “What a revolting image!”
Mr Banks continued: “Nigel actually said to me ‘let's go for a paddle’ but I said ‘come on, man up, let's just go for a swim’ and stripped down.”
Ms Eagle joked: “I think there should be a law against it.”
After paddling around for half an hour the friends decided to make their way back to the Sandbanks Hotel at 2am.
However, they were forced to wait outside on the veranda as other guests were still awake with nothing but their sodden suits to protect their modesty.
Mr Banks, who donated £1 million to UKIP, now plans to set up a right-wing activist group to rival Momentum – the left-wing organisation that helped Jeremy Corbyn become Labour leader.
Mr Farage insists he kept his underwear on for the duration of the swim with Mr Wigmore telling the : “We thought he should do a Reggie Perrin and disappear off with only a pile of clothes on the beach and take a picture because we were obviously slightly merry.
“We ended up piling in, clothes piled onto the beach, into the water which was bloody freezing. Then the lightning started and the rain started.
“We couldn't get out because it's much safer in the water. So we swam up and down the beach for half an hour in a thunderstorm. It was great fun.
“Then we couldn't find our clothes. We managed to find them, scrambled up to the hotel and proceeded for the next hour to watch the thunderstorm and drink whiskey.”
Following a successful Brexit vote, Mr Farage is about to start a speaking tour of European cities and has already appeared at rallies alongside Donald Trump.
He has been succeeded as UKIP leader by Diane James but will continue representing the party as an MEP in the European Parliament.
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