David Campbell Bannerman

Nigel Farage will stay on at the helm of the UK Independence Party, party chairman Steve Crowther announced on Monday.

Crowther said in a statement the party's National Executive Committee has refused to accept Farage's decision to quit after failing to win a seat in last week's election because it "concluded that UKIP's general election campaign had been a great success."

Nigel Farage's UK Independence Party (UKIP) has delivered a blow to Westminster parties in Thursday's local elections, according to partial results.

Preliminary data suggests it will be able to drain power over local authorities controlled by both the ruling Conservatives and their partners from the Liberal Democrats.