"Welsh" Ukip's civil war develops into a farce.

The BBC reports that UKIP party members are to be balloted on who should be leader of the party's assembly group in the Welsh assembly.

The move could see Caroline Jones - who has only been leader since May after she ousted Neil Hamilton - replaced.

She told BBC Wales the party's UK deputy leader Mike Hookem informed the group of five AMs about the vote in a meeting on Monday.
Ms Jones hoped she will win members' support, but said she did not know why a ballot had been called.

Her assembly colleague Gareth Bennett - who is a supporter of her rival Neil Hamilton - welcomed the ballot, which is due to take place at the end of July.

The South Wales West AM took over the leadership of the group from Neil Hamilton after two other members - David Rowlands and Michelle Brown - backed her.

BBC reports that 

The move by Mike Hookem - at what one source described as a stormy meeting - to head to Cardiff Bay and announce a ballot has undermined the decision to install Caroline Jones as leader.
It begs the question whether the recently installed UK leader Gerard Batten approved of the ouster, and suggests he may not have.
Mr Hookem has also effectively endorsed a recommendation of Mr Hamilton's lone assembly supporter Gareth Bennett for a party ballot for leader, which was made to National Executive Committee (NEC) earlier this year.
It has not been happy families for UKIP since Ms Jones took the helm of the group.
Mr Hamilton did not go quietly, accusing his colleagues of sacking him by text, and there have been rumours of an attempt to reinstate him.
With this vote, he may now have his chance.

Mr Bennett, AM for South Wales Central, said:

"I called for one member one vote for the Welsh party members, so I am delighted by this decision.
"It gives the ordinary members a vote, and that has to be more democratic than a few people taking a decision in a smoke-filled room."

Mr Bennett, as part of his recommendations on the leadership in a report to the NEC earlier this year, had called for automatic reselection for the leader to the top of the party list for his or her region.
One source suspected Mr Bennett's report was a factor in the original decision to eject Mr Hamilton as leader of the assembly group.
Mr Hamilton had himself taken over as group leader after challenging former UKIP Wales leader Nathan Gill shortly after the 2016 Senedd election.
He himself remains UKIP's party representative for Wales, despite not speaking for the party in the assembly.

Meanwhile  the Beeb also reports that

An AM for north Wales has been suspended from UKIP after she criticised former party group leader Neil Hamilton.

Mandy Jones had already been blocked from joining the Senedd group earlier in the year and sits as an independent.
But she has now been accused of "damaging" UKIP after saying Mr Hamilton was unsuitable for the role of assembly commissioner.
A spokesman for Ms Jones said she stood by what she said.

Ms Jones's objection to the appointment of Mr Hamilton - who remains UKIP Wales leader despite not leading the group in the assembly - triggered a vote in the assembly, which saw the nomination voted down by 31 AMs to 17.
Mr Hamilton had been nominated by UKIP for the role on the commission, which administers the assembly.
She opposed the nomination because of the Mid and West Wales AM's decision to abstain on the interim anti-harassment policy in the assembly.
In an email party secretary Adam Richardson said Ms Jones's speech last week was "damaging to Mr Hamilton and to the larger party in Wales, which is in desperate need of unity."
He said the resulting press publicity was "all... quite unnecessary and extremely harmful at a temperamental time".
Ms Jones now faces an emergency disciplinary hearing, which she will be able to attend.
 
A spokesman for Mandy Jones said: "Mandy Jones stands by what she said in the Chamber last week and has no regrets. The majority agreed with her.

"UKIP has lost nothing - they simply need to field an appropriate candidate for the role."

The North Wales AM joined the assembly last December after UKIP Wales MEP Nathan Gill resigned.

It will be interesting  to see just how many Ukip  members are now in Wales or are active.

It would be interesting  to see how  if he is reinstated as Assembly leader Mr Hamilton who over as group leader after challenging former UKIP Wales leader Nathan Gill shortly after the 2016 Senedd election in his own coup could justify this it would be a case of gross hypocrisy.

Oh hang on it's Neil Hamilton!