UKIP AMs choose Michelle Brown in place of Gareth Bennett for NEC

UKIP AMs have backed Michelle Brown to represent them on the party's ruling body, replacing Gareth Bennett.

He had been attending meetings of the national executive committee (NEC) with the backing of UKIP Wales leader Neil Hamilton before he was voted out.

South Wales East AM David Rowlands said some AMs had not been "comfortable" with Mr Bennett's appointment.

One UKIP source called Ms Brown's appointment "nuts" but her spokesman said she was "the ideal person".

An email sent to UKIP members in February by South Wales Central AM Mr Bennett said: "Since November, I have been the representative of the assembly group on the NEC.

"I am now standing down from my role on the NEC following a vote in the assembly group to remove me from that position.

"The assembly group's NEC representative is now Michelle Brown.

"I would like to thank Neil Hamilton for nominating me for the NEC role in the first place, and for his wholehearted and consistent support for me in that role."

A secret ballot of the five UKIP AMs is understood to have been held, although Mr Rowlands told BBC Wales that he and Caroline Jones backed North Wales AM Michelle Brown while Neil Hamilton had supported Gareth Bennett.

Mr Rowlands said UKIP AMs were told about Mr Bennett's attendance at the NEC "as a fait accompli, and we weren't comfortable with that situation".

He said the group is "very collegiate", that the matter "didn't cause any stir" and then said "fait accompli" was a "strong way of putting it".

But Mr Rowlands added: "He was chosen by Neil to go and sit on the NEC.

"I think it was quite genuine from Neil that he didn't think there was an objection to it, but we just felt, the other three, that Michelle would be a better representative," he said.

"We thought on reflection Michelle would have more time to go," he said, reflecting on the responsibilities of other group AMs.

Members of the assembly standards committee, including UKIP AM Gareth Bennett, believe Michelle Brown committed a "severe breach" of the code of conduct over her use of the term "coconut" to describe Labour MP Chuka Umunna in a private conversation. She has appealed against the findings.

An individual familiar with the situation within the party said: "Putting up someone like that is not going to sell well with members of the public.

The source added: "It's nuts as far as I'm concerned."

A spokesman for Ms Brown said: "Michelle is a very hard working AM, and her professional skillset makes her the ideal person to represent the Welsh AMs at the NEC."

A UKIP Wales spokesman said the ballot was secret.

"[Gareth Bennett] went to a couple of meetings because, essentially, he was the person available," he said.

"We now have, essentially, a permanent seat for UKIP Wales. He was available at the time for the first couple of meetings."