The leader of a British political party says he's quitting his post because he's not proved to be very good at his job.

In a rare statement Tuesday, Malcolm Pearson, head of the UK Independence Party, which advocates withdrawing Britain from the European Union, said he had stepped down.

The party has two members in the House of Lords, and 12 representatives at the European Parliament, but failed to win any seats in the House of Commons at a national election in May.

Pearson says he's learned he is not good at party politics and that he doesn't enjoy it.

Pearson, a member of the Lords, says he had decided to step down because he had failed to significantly increase the party's share of the vote in the May election.