UKIP’S leadership frontrunner was rushed to hospital yesterday after allegedly getting into a fight with a colleague at a meeting of party MEPs in Strasbourg.

Steven Woolfe was reportedly punched in the face after an argument with a fellow MEP — alleged to be defence spokesman Mike Hookem in the Guardian — during an argument about suggestions Mr Woolfe would defect to the Tories.

The Guardian’s source claimed that leadership favourite Mr Woolfe took his jacket off and invited Mr Hookem “outside.”

Mr Woolfe reportedly hit his head after taking the blow but was OK, with both men going on to vote.

But he later collapsed, complaining he’d lost the feeling down one side of his body.

The North West MEP later said CT scans had shown there was no blood clot on his brain and that he was just being kept in hospital as a precaution.

“At the moment I am feeling brighter, happier, and smiling as ever,” he said.

“As a precaution, I am being kept in overnight awaiting secondary tests to make sure everything in fine.

“I am sitting up, and said to be looking well. The only consequence at the moment is a bit of numbness on the left hand side of my face.”

Earlier, it had been reported that he was suspected to have suffered a brain haemorrhage after having two epileptic-like fits.

During the meeting, Mr Woolfe challenged Mr Hookem — who allegedly called him “a joke” — to take the fight outside the room in European Parliament, sources said.

He then collapsed on a parliamentary walkway after the alleged punch-up with the Yorkshire and Humber MEP.

A photograph posted on the ITV News website showed Mr Woolfe lying spread-eagled and face down on the gangway clutching a briefcase, with an attendant leaning over him.

Mr Woolfe, who turned 49 yesterday, announced on Wednesday he will stand for the leadership after Diane James “resigned” after just 18 days.

The only other leadership candidate declared so far is Mr Farage’s former chief adviser Raheem Kassam.

Ms James was never formally leader because the Electoral Commission could not process her leadership form properly as she had written “under duress” in Latin next to her signature.

In a statement, Mr Woolfe said he had been “enthused” by Prime Minister Theresa May from her conference speech and suggested that he had considered defecting.

Ukip interim leader Nigel Farage said it sounded like her policies were stolen from Ukip in a bid to attract its supporters.

He said: “It made you realise the extent to which Ukip hadn’t just pushed for, gained and helped to win a referendum, but actually we’ve changed the centre of gravity of British politics.

“Virtually everything she said in that speech are things I’ve said to the Ukip conference over the last five or six years.”