LEIGH’S UKIP chairman has stepped down from his role citing disillusionment with the party’s leadership. 

Jayson Lomax-Hargreaves had expressed disappointment with the party after being left with £500 worth of outdated merchandise following a change of logo.

Jayson Lomax-Hargreaves, who was also a Greater Manchester UKIP event organiser, ordered items such as t-shirts, mugs and badges which arrived at his home in January with the party’s emblem at the time- a lion- printed on them.

But the party changed its lion emblem back to a pound logo around three weeks ago, making Jayson’s stock outdated.

He says that when he asked for compensation from UKIP he was told to put them up for sale on a member’s website advertising them as “vintage” items.

So far he has not managed to sell a single item of the old stock.

Care worker Jayson, 36, of Gordon Street, said: “It has been a real kick in the teeth for me.

“Before I ordered the stock, I was assured that there was not going to be a change of logo.

“Obviously merchandise like t-shirts cannot be returned once they have been printed and no-one wants to wear something that has the old logo on.

“Although £500 is not a huge sum of money for some people it is for me and most working-class people.

“As someone who has been working for UKIP for eight years, I am really disappointed that I have not had any loyalty shown to me from people higher up the party.

“The local party members in Greater Manchester have been very supportive of me.”

Jayson has since stepped down from his roles and from the party citing “the top of the party” as the reason for his decision.

He said: "It's with a sad and heavy heart that I announce that I have stepped down as chair of UKIP Leigh and as Greater Manchester County Orgainiser, I will also be resigning from UKIP.

"I would like to thank the Members of UKIP Leigh for electing me three times to be chair and for your activism and friendship.

"I do not leave because of any issue locally or even regionally but because off the top of the party.

"I would also like to thank Noel Matthews, Ian Henderson and John Kelly for the support they have given me at a regional level."