UKIP leader Nigel Farage told reporters as he came out of Hautepierre hospital where he visited Steven Woolfe that the party would hold an inquiry, reports David Chazan in Strasbourg.

“He’s in a much better place than he was a few hours ago. He did, as you know collapse coming out of the chamber during the voting session, and hit the ground pretty hard. He has suffered two seizures, one quite major one, which is obviously pretty serious.

“He did lose consciousness for a bit so things are pretty bad. He has had a series of scans. I’m pleased to say there is no bleeding on the brain and they’ve not found any clots.

"He is being kept in overnight for observation. He still has a bit of numbness down the left side of his face so it is a pretty serious medical incident but he’s sitting up in bed and he’s feeling a lot better.

“I trust that overnight everything will be OK and he’ll be released tomorrow.”

Mr Farage expected Mr Woolfe to be “laid up for a little bit” after what he described as “a big shock” that had “caused us to fear for his life.”

“It’s two grown men getting involved in an altercation. It’s not very seemly behaviour but I’m not today going to get involved in the blame game or name names or say who did what,” Mr Farage said.

Mr Farage refused to name the man who threw the punch, and said UKIP “will have an inquiry and decide what to do.”

He admitted that it was “not good” for UKIP. “You see third world parliaments where this sort of thing happens… It’s not very grown up. What’s happened is not good.”

Mr Farage declined to say whether Mr Woolfe was still likely to become party leader.

He said there was no French police investigation because no complaint had been lodged.

He said Mr Woolfe had collapsed at about 12-20 and he did not personally witness the fight.

“I was in the room but what happened happened slightly outside of it. I was physically close to it but didn’t actually see it,” Mr Farage said.

“We as a party take every incident seriously… We’ve never had one like this, of this nature before … We will have an inquiry and decide what to do.

“It’s been an extraordinary week. As somebody that had walked away from the leadership and now finds himself back in the middle of all of this. It’s not exactly where I wanted to be and it’s not where UKIP need to be.”</s>Nigel Farage has insisted he will carry on as interim leader of Ukip while the party elects a permanent successor following the shock resignation of Diane James after just 18 days.

Mr Farage said he was still technically in charge of the party as Ms James’s registration papers had not been processed by the Electoral Commission.

He dismissed suggestions Neil Hamilton - the former Conservative MP and Ukip leader in the Welsh Assembly - could be installed as acting leader by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) as “wild speculation”.

“We will have to see about that, won’t we? I find that extraordinarily unlikely. I do not see any prospect of that horror story coming to pass,” he told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme.

“I have spoken to the Electoral Commission this morning and I am technically still leader of the party as Diane James’s forms did not get processed, so I will continue as the interim leader.”

{http://www.scotsman.com/1.4248725|READ MORE: UKIP in turmoil as leader Diane James resigns after 18 days}

The Electoral Commission confirmed it had only received the paperwork notifying it of the change of leadership on Monday of this week and that it had not been processed as there were outstanding questions regarding the completion of the form.

“We are aware that the newly elected leader of Ukip has now stood down and are in touch with the party to confirm how they wish to proceed regarding updating their entry on the statutory register,” a spokesman said.

Ms James’s decision to quit, less than three weeks after she was elected to succeed Mr Farage, threatened to plunge the party into a new round of bitter infighting.

The NEC is expected to hold an emergency meeting in the next few days to decide how to proceed with the leadership contest.

But Mr Farage’s acrimonious remarks about Mr Hamilton suggest it is likely to be a bruising battle, with little love lost among some of the most senior figures in the party.

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DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY</s>Manchester-born Ukip leadership hopeful Steven Woolfe is in a ‘serious condition’ after reportedly collapsing following an ‘altercation’ in Strasbourg.

It is understood the north West MEP was taken ill at the European Parliament following a meeting with party colleagues and that he is undergoing tests in hospital.

Mr Woolfe, born in Moss Side, announced on Wednesday he will stand as a candidate for the party’s leadership after Diane James stepped down after just 18 days in charge.

It is his 49th birthday today. It is understood he is undergoing tests for a suspected bleed on the brain. Unconfirmed reports from Ukip sources alleged he had been punched following an argument.

There had been speculation before his leadership bid announcement that he had had discussions with the Tories about defecting.

ITV News cameras were running at the time when Mr Woolfe collapsed at the European Parliament.

A Ukip spokesman said: “Steven Woolfe MEP was taken suddenly ill in the European Parliament building in Strasbourg this morning.

“He has been taken to hospital in the city and he is undergoing tests.”
• Moss Side-born MEP in bid to lead Ukip after nomination gaffe

Following a meeting with Ukip MEPs, interim leader Nigel Farage said: “I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of Ukip MEPs this morning that Steven Woolfe subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital.

Ukip Welsh Assembly member and former Tory MP Neil Hamilton said he had been told Mr Woolfe had hit his head on a window after he was 'knocked over'.

He said there had been a 'dispute between two individuals'.

Suzanne Evans, Ukip’s former deputy chair who is said to be considering her own leadership bid, tweeted: “Shocked to hear Steven Woolfe has apparently collapsed in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Wishing him well for a speedy recovery.”

Raheem Kassam, who is also running to be Ukip leader, tweeted: “I really hope @Steven-Woolfe is okay. Plz send him your best wishes.”

Bookies had already installed Mr Woolfe as the 1/2 favourite before he announced his intention to run.

Mr Woolfe, 48, the party’s migration spokesman, was barred from standing in the last leadership contest after submitting his nomination papers 17 minutes after the deadline.
• Ukip in turmoil as leader Diane James quits after just 18 days

He was a frontrunner in the race to replace Nigel Farage as Ukip leader earlier this year, but his bid hit the buffers after ‘technical issues’ meant his papers were delayed.

At the time Mr Woolfe said he was ‘extremely disappointed’ at the decision to ban him from the race and branded Ukip’s National Executive Committee ‘unfit for purpose’.

Three members of the party’s ruling board immediately quit in protest.

But Mr Woolfe, elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2014, is now back in contention to lead the anti-EU party.

His announcement came as Nigel Farage confirmed that he would be carrying on as interim leader until a permanent successor was in place - prompting a furious row within the party.</s>A candidate for the leadership of Britain's UKIP party is in a serious condition after an altercation at a meeting of its European lawmakers, the party said.

Steven Woolfe, who on Wednesday announced his intention to lead the right-wing, anti-immigration party, collapsed after the incident at the European parliament in Strasbourg, according to interim party leader Nigel Farage.

Farage tweeted on Thursday: "I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of UKIP MEPs this morning that Steven Woolfe subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital. His condition is serious."

Woolfe is the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England, having been elected in July 2014.

There are 73 UK MEPs in total, of whom 22 are from UKIP. Woolfe, 48, worked as a lawyer before entering politics, according to his website . He is the UKIP spokesman on migration and financial affairs.</s>Steven Woolfe, who on Wednesday announced his intention to lead the right-wing UKIP party, collapsed after the incident Thursday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, and remained in hospital overnight into Friday.

What exactly happened -- and who else was involved -- remains unclear. The front pages of several of Britain's national newspapers were dominated Friday by the image of Woolfe apparently sprawled unconscious on the floor at the European Parliament.

Interim party leader Nigel Farage pledged to hold an investigation into the incident. "It's two grown men involved in an altercation," he told journalists in Strasbourg on Thursday.

"It's not very seemly behavior. But I'm not today going to get involved in the blame game and name names. It shouldn't have happened."

"We're talking about a dispute that finished up physically." In a statement released from the hospital Thursday, Woolfe said he was feeling better. "The CT scan has shown that there is no blood clot in the brain. At the moment I am feeling brighter, happier and smiling as ever," he said. "As a precaution, I am being kept in overnight awaiting secondary tests to make sure everything is fine." He thanked hospital staff and his fellow UKIP Members of the European Parliament via Twitter for their care. UKIP MEP Steven Woolfe is shown collapsed on the floor at the European Parliament after an 'altercation.' According to a statement on his website, Woolfe had "2 epileptic-like fits and numbness on the left hand side of his body" and passed out. However, tests have shown no bleeding on the brain. "I am sitting up, and said to be looking well. The only consequence at the moment is a bit of numbness on the left hand side of my face," Woolfe's statement said. Diane James stood down as leader of UKIP after 18 days in the post. UKIP has been riven by infighting since Farage stood down from the leadership, the day after Britain voted by a narrow margin in a referendum to leave the European Union. UKIP, which had long called for tighter immigration controls and Britain's "independence" outside the European Union, claimed the Brexit vote as a victory. Woolfe had intended to stand in the original ballot to replace Farage, but failed to submit his nomination papers on time. The successful candidate, Diane James, stood down after 18 days , saying she did not have the full support of the party's MEPs and office-holders. Woolfe, 49, is the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England, having taken office in July 2014, and is the UKIP spokesman on migration and financial affairs.</s>Ukip MEP Steven Woolfe is in a "serious" condition in hospital following an 'altercation' that took place at a meeting of Ukip MEPs this morning" in Strasbourg, Nigel Farage said.

The 49-year-old MEP for the North West is said to have been taken ill after walking out on a vote at the parliament in Strasbourg.

There were unconfirmed reports Mr Woolfe was punched in the head after telling party colleagues he was considering defecting.

He is reported to have fallen down but then got to his feet before collapsing again.

He is now being tended to by medics amid fears he could have bleeding on the brain, according to reports on social media.

Suzanne Evans, Ukip's former deputy chair who is said to be considering her own leadership bid, tweeted: "Shocked to hear Steven Woolfe has apparently collapsed in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Wishing him well for a speedy recovery."

Raheem Kassam, who is also running to be Ukip leader, tweeted: "I really hope @Steven-Woolfe is okay. Plz send him your best wishes."

The incident comes the day after Mr Woolfe declared he was a candidate for the Ukip leadership following the shock resignation of Diane James.

According to one source it took place at what was described as a "clear the air meeting" with MEPs who had been unhappy at his admission that he had considered defecting to the Conservatives.

In his statement announcing his candidacy, Mr Woolfe said he had been "enthused" by Theresa May's start to her premiership.

"Her support of new grammar schools, her words on social mobility and the growing evidence that she is committed to a clean Brexit prompted me, as it did many of my friends and colleagues, to wonder whether our future was within her new Conservative Party," he said.</s>Ukip MEP Steven Woolfe has been taken to hospital in Strasbourg after sustaining serious injuries in an altercation at a party meeting at the European Parliament.

The MEP for the North West England region, who celebrates his 49th birthday today, collapsed after being punched during a meeting of the Ukip party in Strasbourg.

Sources said he collapsed on a walkway bridge linking the European Parliament chamber and the parliament’s many meeting rooms shortly before midday.

Mr Woolfe, a qualified barrister, was elected to the European Parliament in 2014. He was widely seen as a possible successor to Diane James, the Ukip leader who resigned this week after 18 days in the role.

Mr Woolfe was famously prohibited from entering the Ukip leadership race following Nigel Farage’s decision to step down as leader in the wake of the British referendum in June, after he missed the application deadline by 17 minutes.

Earlier this week there were reports that Mr Woolfe was considering defecting to the Conservative Party, but he confirmed on Wednesday that, despite considering the issue, he would remain with Ukip.

“I have been enthused by the start to Theresa May’s premiership,” he said, noting that her support for grammar schools, pledges to tackle social mobility and commitment to a clean Brexit “prompted me, as it did many of my friends and colleagues, to wonder whether our future was within her new Conservative Party. “

“However, having watched the prime minister’s speech on Sunday, I came to the conclusion that only a strong Ukip can guarantee Brexit is delivered in full,” he said.

Sources in Brussels said Mr Farage was not involved in the incident in Strasbourg.

In a statement, the Ukip founder said: “I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of Ukip,MEPs this morning that Steven Woolfe subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital. His condition is serious.”

Ukip topped the poll in the European Parliament elections in Britain in 2014, with 24 UK MEPs elected to the parliament.

Members of Ukip had gathered in Strasbourg this week for the regular plenary session of the European Parliament, which concludes today.</s>Ukip leadership favourite Steven Woolfe is recovering in hospital after being admitted in a “serious” condition following an altercation at a meeting of the party’s MEPs.

The 49-year-old MEP said in a statement that a CT scan had shown that there was no blood clot on his brain but that he was being kept in hospital overnight as a precaution.

“At the moment I am feeling brighter, happier, and smiling as ever. As a precaution, I am being kept in overnight awaiting secondary tests to make sure everything in fine,” he said.

“I would like everyone to know that the parliamentary staff, the Ukip MEPs with me and hospital staff have been brilliant. Their care has been exceptional.

“I am sitting up, and said to be looking well. The only consequence at the moment is a bit of numbness on the left hand side of my face. “

Ukip said that Mr Woolfe collapsed outside the European Parliament following a “clear the air” meeting with colleagues this morning.

However some party insiders have told media outlets that Mr Woolfe was punched by a Ukip colleague following an arguement.

A statement from Ukip’s interim leader said: “I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of Ukip MEPs this morning that Steven Woolfe subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital.”

A party spokesman said Mr Woolfe was “taken suddenly ill” in the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on Thursday morning.

The spokesman added: “He has been taken to hospital in the city and he is undergoing tests.”
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DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY</s>The favourite to take over as Ukip leader Steven Woolfe has collapsed at the European Parliament and is in a "serious condition" after an altercation at a meeting of his party's MEPs.

Interim leader Nigel Farage said the party’s immigration spokesman had been taken to hospital after the incident at the parliament building in Strasbourg.

Sources reported that he was punched in the face and then hit his head, with doctors now treating the politician for bleeding on the brain.

It comes just one day after Mr Woolfe put himself forward to be the party’s next leader, following the shock resignation of Diane James.

Mr Farage said: "I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of Ukip MEPs this morning, that Steven Woolfe subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital. His condition is serious."

A UKIP Spokesman said: “Steven Woolfe MEP was taken suddenly ill in the European Parliament building in Strasbourg this morning.

“He has been taken to hospital in the city and he is undergoing tests.”

Fellow Ukip politician Suzanne Evans said on Twitter: "Shocked to hear Steven Woolfe has apparently collapsed in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Wishing him well for a speedy recovery."

Only last night he won the backing of the influential Ukip donor Arron Banks, who said Mr Woolfe "is the one candidate who can do it" when it comes to replacing Mr Farage as leader.

But reports emerged on Twitter just before noon today, Mr Woolfe’s 49th birthday, that he had been taken ill.

He recently said he was tempted to defect to the Tories after Theresa May took over, before deciding that Ukip was the only party that could ensure Brexit.

In a statement, he said: "Her support of new grammar schools, her words on social mobility and the growing evidence that she is committed to a clean Brexit prompted me, as it did many of my friends and colleagues, to wonder whether our future was within her new Conservative Party.

"However, having watched the Prime Minister's speech on Sunday I came to the conclusion that only a strong Ukip can guarantee Brexit is delivered in full and only our party can stand up for the communities of the Midlands and the North."

Mr Woolfe was forced to pull out of the last leadership contest after handing in his nomination papers 17 minutes late.

Ms James was eventually declared winner on September 16, only to quit 18 days later for "personal and professional" reasons, citing a lack of support among the party's MEPs and officials.

Nigel Farage is the party’s interim leader and has said he expects a new chief to be appointed before the end of November.</s>Ukip leadership favourite Steven Woolfe is in a “serious” condition in hospital after an altercation at a meeting of the party’s MEPs, Nigel Farage has said.

A statement from Ukip’s interim leader said: “I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of Ukip MEPs this morning that Steven Woolfe subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital. His condition is serious.”

A party spokesman said Mr Woolfe was “taken suddenly ill” in the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on Thursday morning.

The spokesman added: “He has been taken to hospital in the city and he is undergoing tests.”
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An altercation with a fellow UKIP MEP inside the European Parliament leaves UK Independence Party, Member of the European Parliament, and current UKIP party leadership favorite Steven Woolfe hospitalized.