UKIP MEP Mike Hookem: 'I didn't start tussle with Steven Woolfe'
Mr Hookem says his colleague "came at me" after they took their row outside - but insists there were "no punches thrown".
Friday 7 October 2016 20:06, UK
UKIP MEP Mike Hookem has told Sky News that Steven Woolfe "instigated" a "tussle" that left the leadership contender in hospital.
He said the altercation happened after a row with Mr Woolfe about his application for UKIP's recent leadership race.
Mr Woolfe collapsed around two hours after the clash with Mr Hookem at the European Parliament, with interim leader Nigel Farage revealing his colleague had suffered two seizures.
Mike Hookem, MEP for the Humber, told Sky News: "Mr Woolfe explained to the meeting his part in the last leadership election when he stated his paperwork had gone in and he had evidence of it and it hadn't been accepted.
"I then said 'No Steven, you had 20 days to get this in. The reason it never went in was your fault', whereas Mr Woolfe stood up and said 'right, if it's going to be this tone of the meeting, let's me and you take this outside, mano il mano' (sic).
"He made for a small ante room, taking his jacket off. I entered that room and he approached me, he came at me.
"There was no punches thrown, no blows thrown. There was no slapped faces. There was no pushing. There was a tussle between an elderly grandfather and a 40-year-old MEP - quite silly, quite embarrassing, handbags at dawn, girl on girl. It lasted seconds.
"Whereas, the door opened and Mr Woolfe fell back into the room, on to a male MEP. His head never hit any glass, any metal, any chair or anything. I never punched Steven Woolfe."
"This unfortunately got out of hand. I never instigated this incident. Mr Woolfe instigated it," he added.
Mr Woolfe had earlier accused Mr Hookem of coming at him, telling the Daily Mail: "I wasn't bruising for a scrap. I asked to deal with the matter outside of the room because it was flaring up in the meeting and upsetting everybody, and Mike clearly read that totally the wrong way.
"Mike came at me and landed a blow. The door frame took the biggest hit after I was shoved into it and I knew I'd taken a whack and was pretty shaken."
After his collapse, it was feared Mr Woolfe - one of two people to declare their intention to succeed Diane James - was seriously ill.
However he tweeted on Thursday evening to say he was not in danger.
UKIP MEP Nathan Gill confirmed today that his colleague was recovering well and in a neurological ward so he could be observed for 48 hours.
He added that Mr Woolfe had since extended the "hand of friendship" to Mr Hookem in an email.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz has launched an investigation and suggested the incident in Strasbourg could result in disciplinary action.
UKIP's interim party leader, Nigel Farage, has also said an investigation will take place next week.
The fallout from the incident could also risk tearing the party apart.
Key donor Arron Banks has threatened to sever ties with UKIP, savaged two of its senior figures - Neil Hamilton and MP Douglas Carswell - and called for the "immediate suspension" of the party's National Executive Committee.