Nigel Farage too good a political leader to lose for UKIP. Image: Ukip Facebook.

UKIP has rejected Nigel Farage’s letter of resignation and Mr Farage says although he’s reluctant to stay he ‘owes it to the party’ to carry on as leader.

The UKIP politician therefore emerges as the true survivor of the post election cull of opposition leaders.

He announced his rejected resignation on twitter:

UKIP won 13% of the share of the vote in the election held on the 7th May.

A total of  3.8 million votes were cast though only one MP- the Tory defector Douglas Carswell– held onto his Clacton seat to be the party’s sole representative in the House of Commons.

UKIP is in 3rd place behind the Conservatives and Labour in terms of all votes cast.

UKIP contested key London marginals and you can find their results from our General Election coverage on our website.

This includes exclusive interviews with UKIP candidates.

Nigel Farage failed to gain the seat he contested in South Thanet.

After his defeat he told the public he had ‘never felt happier’ and had a ‘weight lifted off his shoulders.’

On May 8th Mr Farage said:

I have resigned, I have gone. I am going to take the summer off and enjoy myself for the first time in 20 years. That is what I am going to do.

Building this party from scratch has been something that literally has dominated my life, seven days a week for 20 years.

It has damaged my relationships with business, with family, with everything. I have not had a proper holiday since October 1993.

Steve Crowther, the UKIP’s chairman, told the Telegraph:

On that basis Mr Farage withdrew his resignation and will remain leader of Ukip. In addition the NEC recognised that the referendum campaign has already begun this week and we need our best team to fight that campaign led by Nigel. He has therefore been persuaded by the NEC to withdraw his resignation and remains leader of Ukip.

Nigel Farage, before withdrawing his resignation, met with the members of UKIP to clarify they still wished him to stay earlier today.

Nigel Farage said:

There are some huge battles about to take place, and as much as I had thought that taking at least the summer off was in my best interests, I realise now that the party comes before me, and indeed, that this country comes before both.

Before Mr Farage announced to take back leadership of the party he’d recommended Suzanne Evans, the deputy chairman, to head the party until the leadership challenge was complete.

Suzanne Evans said she was ‘very pleased’ Mr Farage had agreed to remain leader. She tweeted:

Many people in the UK have taken to twitter using the hashtag #FarageUnresigns which is now trending in the UK.

Here are some of the tweets:

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