Ukip leader Nigel Farage has been taunted over his decision not to run for Parliament in a by-election triggered by the resignation of disgraced former Tory MP Patrick Mercer.
Mr Farage said he would have looked opportunistic if he stood in a constituency where he had no local ties and he did not want to distract from his party’s efforts to claim first place in the European elections.
But he faced questions about whether he had “bottled” the decision to stand in Newark, which Mr Mercer held in 2010 with a majority of more than 16,000.
Mr Farage said his party would “throw the kitchen sink” at the Newark contest, and would field a local candidate.
No date has been set for the by-election to fill the Nottinghamshire seat vacated by Mr Mercer, who resigned after learning he faced a six-month ban from Parliament over a cash-for-questions scandal.
Mr Farage, who spent the night in Bath on the European election campaign trail, said he seriously considered standing in the seat and took soundings from Ukip activists in Newark about his chances.
Asked if he had “bottled it”, Mr Farage initially said: “Yes. At 7.30pm last night I found out there was going to be a by-election in Newark and, 12 hours later, I’ve thought hard about it overnight, and I have realised we are just over three weeks away from a European election.”
Pressed on whether he admitted bottling the decision Mr Farage said: “I have said nothing of the kind.”
Explaining the reasons behind his announcement the Ukip leader said: “I don’t have any links with the East Midlands, I would look like an opportunist and I don’t think that would work.
“We will fight the by-election and fight it damned hard and get a good local candidate.”
Mr Farage denied the decision not to gamble on a run at the Newark seat, which Mr Mercer held for the Tories with a majority of 16,152 in 2010, revealed a lack of courage.
“I think I have shown some courage over the years. I have helped take this party from nothing into a position where last Sunday it was leading the opinion polls in a national election,” he said.
Mr Farage added: “I’m a fighter, I’m a warrior, but you have to pick your battles in life.”
But Tory minister Anna Soubry, a Nottinghamshire MP, claimed Mr Farage was scared of the contest – using the word “frit” which is associated with Margaret Thatcher’s attack on Labour former chancellor Denis Healey.
On Twitter Ms Soubry wrote Mr Farage “is not stupid – he knows he’d lose and runs frit from Newark”.