The former leader of Ukip Nigel Farage says he will not be standing for the job - for now.

The man credited with forcing a Brexit referendum and who remains an MEP in the south east region said he could be tempted by a return to "the front line" if political leaders did not deliver a "full and proper" Brexit.

But he said standing in the contest to replace Paul Nuttall as leader would be "premature".

Mr Nuttall stepped down as UKIP leader after the party's poor general election performance.

UKIP failed to win a single seat in Parliament and its vote share slumped to 1.8%, down almost 11% on its 2015 result.

In Kent - where the party has had some success - the election saw its vote share plummet by a staggering 62%.

In a newspaper article outlining the reasons for his decision, he said: "It is already something of an ongoing joke about the number of times I have stood for the leadership and resigned.”

"To return now would be premature. But I'm still committed to the great Brexit battle and I will continue in my role as the leader of a group in the European Parliament, overseeing the Brexit process."

There has been some speculation that in Mr Farage’s absence, the leader of Thanet council Chris Wells, may run.

However, he could not be contacted.