A WORCESTERSHIRE MEP has pulled out of the race to be UKIP's next leader.

Bill Etheridge said Paul Nuttall's decision to contest it has prompted him to step aside, calling him "better suited to take the party forward".

Mr Etheridge, who represents the West Midlands in the European Parliament, was considered an outsider as one of eight people vying to lead the party.

In a statement, he said: "I always said that if a candidate better suited to take this party forward emerged I would back down and support them - that candidate has emerged.

"Paul Nuttall is not only a personal friend and an honourable man, but I believe he is the only person who can effectively unite our party after the recent well publicised problems we have suffered.

"I will be supporting Paul and giving him my 100 per cent backing.

"I call on all other potential candidates to follow my example and withdraw from the race to allow Paul to go forward from here and unite our party."

He added: “I believe UKIP must remain a patriotic, libertarian party standing for the individual against the over-powerful state, and not be tempted into cultural nationalism and the so-called centre ground on economic policy."

Nigel Farage had to return as temporary leader after the resignation of Diane James just 18 days into her leadership plunged UKIP into chaos.

Steve Woolfe then ended up in hospital after an altercation with fellow UKIP MEP Mike Hookem and has since quit the party, calling it "ungovernable".

Mr Etheridge had promised to unite the party's warring factions after months of infighting described by Mr Woolfe as a "death spiral of their own making".

Worcester-based James Carver, UKIP's other West Midlands MEP, ruled himself out of standing three weeks ago.

There are now seven hopefuls standing to be next UKIP leader, with Suzanne Evans the favourite.

Mr Nuttall, an MEP for the North West, announced his candidacy on the BBC1 Sunday Politics show over the weekend, where he said UKIP was “looking over a potential cliff”.

“UKIP at the moment is looking over the edge of a political cliff,” he said.

“It will either step off or it will step back, and I want to be the candidate that will tell us to come backwards.”

Nominations close on 31 October, with the eventual winner announced on 28 November.