Nigel Farage urges Ukip activists to put 'country before party'

Nigel Farage has called on Ukip to "put country before party" and dedicate itself to securing Britain's exit from the European Union in the in/out referendum.

Addressing activists at the party's annual conference in Doncaster, he told them they had a once in a lifetime opportunity to get the country back.

The eurosceptic leader said a so-called Brexit was "dearer to my heart" even than Ukip and urged activists to put all their energy into fighting the "no" campaign ahead of the national poll, due to be held by the end of 2017.

He said: "I have to say to you, as the leader of this party, as somebody who has given over 20 years of his life to helping build this party, while of course I want us to do well as a party and succeed in those elections there is something that is actually dearer to my heart than party politics, even if it's Ukip.

"I want us to summon every resource of energy that we can find in our bodies and our minds, I want us to dedicate ourselves wholly to winning that referendum."

He added: "This is the moment to put country before party. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get back the independence and self-government of this nation.

"Our message is clear, we want our country back."