Is UKIP army marching to same tune?

It should be a moment of unity and togetherness for UKIP.

Alas, it seems all is not well for the vanguard of Euroscepticism if Nigel Farage's former right hand man's comments are anything to go by.

Infighting, Mr Farage's 'unresignation' and the toppling of senior figures said to have opposed him have made it a difficult month for a party recovering from losing one of its two MPs in Westminster.

And Mr Farage's former aide, Raheem Kassam, has rubbed more salt into the wound, describing the 'egos' in the party, the feuding between different teams and alleged dirty tricks.

West Midlands UKIP MEP Jill Seymour has declined to comment on Mr Kassam's remarks.

But her fellow MEP and Dudley councillor Bill Etheridge does not appear to share the same view of the party as Mr Kassam. He said in a statement: "Nigel Farage has my full support as party leader. He is a charismatic public speaker who has, and continues to be, a refreshing voice in British politics.

"UKIP will play a major role in the forthcoming EU referendum in Britain as we have led the ongoing fight for the UK to leave the anti-democratic and unaccountable European Union.

"UKIP is a team and as a united team we are working hard in the West Midlands against EU-led regionalisation plans which would bring about the creation of a 'combined' Birmingham and Black Country authority."

Mr Etheridge was widely tipped to be one of a new wave of UKIP MPs, with opinion polls suggesting he would either narrowly beat or come a close second to Labour's Ian Austin in Dudley North.

In the end, despite the Tories having to change their candidate days before nominations closed due to Afzal Amin having been recorded meeting with the English Defence League, the Conservatives came second.

But UKIP remains a big voice on Dudley Council, with seven seats. Its three councillors in Walsall helped put the Conservatives back in power there.

In Sandwell, their only councillor Phil Garrett is also the sole opposition to 71 Labour members.

Mr Kassam told how he 'totally regrets' every minute of his eight months working for UKIP.

He talked of having made some good friends but then added: "Have I got anything else apart from looking at much of UKIP and thinking your are just a bunch of ragtag, unprofessional, embarrassing people who let Nigel down at every juncture? No."

Mr Farage, of course, made a rod for his own back by declaring in a book that he would stand down as leader if he failed to win a seat in Westminster in South Thanet.

He told the Express & Star in April: "It's a statement of the obvious. If I fail, I'm a goner. Most party leaders could be gone by the end of the summer. It ups the stakes. I believe I'm going to win."

But he didn't win and on May 8 offered his resignation.

That resignation was then refused by UKIP's ruling national executive committee, but not before talk had begun about a possible replacement.

Mr Kassam blamed three senior figures in the party for trying to arrange a coup against Mr Farage: Patrick O'Flynn, the former economics spokesman, Suzanne Evans, the deputy chairman and Douglas Carswell, the Tory defector who was the only UKIP candidate to win a seat in Parliament.

They all deny it. But Mr O'Flynn was dropped from UKIP's front bench while Suzanne Evans is no longer in charge of policy.

Mr Carswell angered party colleagues by refusing to take £1 million of public money due to him as an MP.

He said he did not need it to serve the people of Clacton.

Mr Kassam, a 28-year-old son of Muslim immigrants, is dismissive of Mr Carswell and said: "He has no clout. He means nothing to us now."

Incredibly, it seems, that in Parliament Mr Carswell might be viewed as a backbench rebel - in a party with just one MP.

Yet Mr Carswell still has plenty of support within UKIP.

James Carver, the other West Midlands MEP for UKIP, said: "Self-promoting Raheem Kassam is sniping at Douglas Carswell again. It's a simple fact that Douglas fits into UKIP far better than he ever did."

Mr Carver simply does not recognise the UKIP portrayed by Mr Kassam.

"Everybody is speaking and we're getting on with preparing for a matter of huge importance - the referendum," he said.

"The campaign has got to be about getting Britain out of the EU. It's got to be cross community and even cross-party.

"UKIP has a huge part to play in that.

"Nigel Farage will be a be a major part of the no campaign.

"What people like Raheem Kassam say they see, I don't see that on the ground or in my party."