THE head of UKIP in Hampshire has quit from his role - only two months into the job.

Cllr Tony Hooke was leader of the UKIP Hampshire County Council group, but has stepped down saying he could not do this effectively alongside his role as campaign manager for UKIP parliamentary candidate Diane James.

Ms James, an MEP for south east England who came second to MP Mike Thornton in the Eastleigh by-election in 2013, is running for the MP's seat in North West Hampshire at the General Election in May.

Cllr Hooke, who represents the party in the Andover South ward on Hampshire County Council, said he had decided to put his full efforts into the election campaign, describing it as “the number one priority for Hampshire” and Ms James as the most important of UKIP's Hampshire candidates.

He is also hoping to get more UKIP councillors elected to Test Valley Borough Council and is bidding for a seat himself.

Chris Lagdon, a Totton North county councillor, will take over the role, but Cllr Hooke said he did not know whether he would return to the role after the General Election.

Cllr Hooke was elected to Hampshire County Council in 2013, narrowly ousting David Drew from the seat who had won it at the by-election that followed the death of David Kirk in 2010.

His departure from the leadership role yesterday follows the previous leader Cllr Philip Fawkes' decision to quit in December, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

The South Waterside councillor said he could not balance his family commitments with that of his party and Cllr Hooke was subsequently elected as leader.

This came just months after Cllr Hooke's position in the party had been hanging in the balance.

He was arrested in May last year in connection with an alleged assault and had signalled that he was prepared to resign from the party if he was charged - despite protesting his innocence.

The allegation arose out of an incident between members of the party and protesters at a meeting at Portsmouth's Guildhall on April 28 last year which had been attended by party leader Nigel Farage and launched UKIP's breakthrough election campaign.

But after two months police told him he would face no further action and Cllr Hooke stepped back from quitting the party for good.