A UKIP London Assembly member has resigned from the party.

London Assembly member for UKIP, Peter Whittle, confirmed his resignation on Friday on Twitter.

Mr Whittle said: “I am enormously proud to have been part of a party which has had the most profound impact on British politics, and without which there certainly would have been no EU referendum. However, that party is ceasing to exist.

“Brexit is the defining issue of our time. We are now seeing the full extent of the betrayal of that historic vote. It is at this very time that UKIP should have been there, on the field, leading the opposition to this incompetent, deceitful government, and indeed to its allies in the pro-EU establishment.

“Instead, on this central issue, the party has been nowhere to be seen. Other preoccupations have side-tracked it, and made it appear irrelevant. I see no way of coming back from this.”

Mr Whittle’s resignation comes amid a number of other resignations in the party following the appointment of Tommy Robinson as an adviser.

Paul Nuttall and Nigel Farage also announced last week they were quitting the party.

Mr Whittle stood as a candidate for Mayor of London in 2016 and is one of two UKIP London Assembly members – alongside David Kurten.

He said that for the remainder of his term at the London Assembly he will “continue to fight for Brexit in the face of all attempts to undermine it”.