Ukip's leader in Wales has quit his party's group in the Welsh Assembly following a bitter row about "double jobbing".
Since becoming an AM in May, Nathan Gill has faced calls from fellow Ukippers in the Senedd to stand down as an MEP.
The 43-year-old refused to back down and insisted he could carry on doing both roles, which have a combined basic salary of more than £140,000.
With the spat showing no signs of ending, Mr Gill has now opted to go it alone and become an independent AM - but promised not to resign from the party.
Ukip's Assembly leader Neil Hamilton shrugged off the decision, saying the departure would "not make much difference".
In a statement, Mr Gill said: "I have decided to break away from the Ukip group in the Welsh Assembly and sit as an independent.
"Too much time has been wasted on infighting over issues that cannot be resolved and it has become a distraction to the work we were elected to do.
"I remain Ukip leader in Wales and am committed to serving my constituents."
Former care home boss Mr Gill became Ukip's sole MEP for Wales in 2014 - a job that comes with a monthly salary of £6,537.
Two years later, he was elected as an AM in the North Wales region in the Assembly.
After assuming office in Cardiff Bay, things have been far from smooth for the father-of-five.
Despite being party chief in Wales, he was defeated in the contest to become Ukip's leader in the Assembly by former Tory MP Mr Hamilton - a move later branded by Nigel Farage as "unjust".
There have also been a number of public spats between the pair - including Mr Gill criticising Mr Hamilton for not living in Wales.
In recent weeks, Mr Gill came under fresh fire for being an AM and an MEP, and was warned by Ukip's National Executive Committee (NEC) to resign from one of his posts or be expelled.
After announcing he was leaving the Ukip group in the Assembly, Mr Gill insisted he would remain party leader in Wales.
However, a spokesman for Ukip said: "Nathan Gill is no longer leader of Ukip in Wales.
"That expired when he was expelled from the party and has not been renewed, as the party is without a leader to re-issue him with that title.
"Mr Gill himself has said that it was not individuals that Welsh Ukip voters elected, it was the party, so he should do the honourable thing and resign his seat to let the next Ukipper on the list take his place in the Assembly. It's what Ukip supporters voted for."
Responding to the news of Mr Gill's decision to quit, Mr Hamilton told BBC Wales: "We'll have to do our best to survive without him - we don't see him much in the Assembly, so I don't think we'll notice much difference."
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