By James Rush PUBLISHED: 16:09 EST, 5 February 2013 | UPDATED: 05:35 EST, 6 February 2013 Ruled out: Nigel Farage has today said he will not be standing in the by-election for the Eastleigh constituency UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage today ruled out standing in the by-election in Eastleigh, triggered by Chris Huhne’s decision to stand down as an MP. The Liberal Democrat former energy secretary formally left Parliament today, by the archaic procedure of accepting appointment to the Chiltern Hundreds, and a date for the by-election is expected to be announced soon. There had been speculation that Mr Farage would take the opportunity to fight a second by-election in the Hampshire constituency, having scooped 952 votes there in UKIP’s first bid to win a Westminster seat in 1994.
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Speculation suggested UKIP leader was to stand for seat left by Chris Huhne
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Nigel Farage has ruled out possibility so he isn't distracted from priorities
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But he said the party will fight 'as hard as we can' for Eastleigh seat
However, there were doubts over whether the seat - a @placeholder and Conservative marginal in the last four general elections - would be an attractive venue for a high-profile campaign for UKIP, even when the party is riding high in the polls.