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Turnout | 39.4% (7.5%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2017 UK Independence Party leadership election was called following the resignation of Paul Nuttall as leader of the UK Independence Party on 9 June 2017, following the poor performance of the party in the 2017 general election. [1] Former party chairman Steve Crowther was chosen three days later to serve as interim leader. [2]
On 11 August, the party confirmed that eleven candidates had been cleared to stand for the leadership. [3] Subsequently, the number on the ballot fell to seven as four withdrew to support other candidates. [4]
The election was won by Henry Bolton with 30.0% of the vote. [5]
The leadership contest took place under a first-past-the-post system, where the candidate with the greatest number of votes became leader. [6]
According to party rules, candidates had to have been party members for at least two years as of 23 June 2017, and needed the support of one hundred members across at least ten local parties. Candidates paid a £5,000 deposit, half of which was refundable for candidates who received at least 20% of the vote.
The election timetable is as follows:
23 June | Opening of nominations |
28 July | Closing of nominations |
4 August | List of applicants announced [7] |
11 August | Deadline for withdrawal of candidature and final list of candidates announced |
23 August – 11 September | Programme of regional hustings [8] |
1-8 September | Despatch of ballot papers |
29 September | Completion of verification, count and declaration of the winner |
There was immediate speculation that former leader Nigel Farage MEP might stand for a third period as leader. Bill Etheridge MEP and Thanet District Council leader Chris Wells both indicated they might stand if Farage did not. [9] [10] Farage subsequently announced in early July that he would not be standing. In the event, neither Etheridge nor Wells stood for the leadership; Etheridge became the running mate of John Rees-Evans. [11]
A key divide between candidates was between what The Guardian described as "Farage-ist economic libertarians" like Etheridge and the "more hard-right, Islam-focused" Anne Marie Waters and Peter Whittle. [12] Etheridge stated that "whichever side wins, the other side won't have a future in the party". [12] In early July, over a thousand new members had joined the party in only two weeks, leading to accusations of far-right infiltration in support of Waters. [12] Party sources suggested Waters had concluded a deal with Whittle that were he to win, she would become deputy leader, which Whittle denied. [13] [14]
Nominations closed on 28 July, with candidates then being approved as candidates by the party's executive. [15] [16] On 21 August the number fell to ten, when David Allen withdrew to support Henry Bolton. [17] The number of candidates fell again on 31 August, to seven, as Ben Walker, David Coburn MEP and Marion Mason all stepped down in order to form a "Victory for the Ukip United" ticket with Jane Collins. The four wanted to see the party reflect Farage's leadership, rather than "banging on about Islam and gay marriage". Were Collins to be elected, Coburn would have become Deputy Leader with Walker as Party Chairman. [4]
At least 18 of the party's 20 MEPs were reported to be considering resigning and forming a new party if Waters won the leadership or was given a senior role in the party, given her anti-Islam views and support from the far-right. [13] Etheridge publicly said that he would resign if Waters won, and Jonathan Arnott MEP said it would be difficult for him to remain. [13] [18] Etheridge subsequently launched his third leadership bid, having previously declared in both of UKIP's 2016 leadership elections. [19]
Etheridge withdrew his candidacy on 26 July, two days before close of nominations. He urged candidates from the "libertarian" wing of the party to unite against what he described as fringe candidates using the party "as a vehicle for the views of the EDL and the BNP". He said he would leave the party if Waters or Whittle won the leadership. [20] [21] Jack Buckby, a former parliamentary candidate for Liberty GB who as a former BNP member is barred from joining UKIP, was reported to be helping Waters in her campaign. [22]
Controversy over Waters continued, with Mike Hookem MEP resigning as the party's deputy whip in the European Parliament in protest at her candidacy and at the chief whip Stuart Agnew's support for her. Hookem described Waters as "far-right". Nathan Gill MEP also said he would leave the party if she won. Waters and Whittle both expressed concern at Sharia councils in the UK. [16]
LGBT rights defined another split between those who declared as candidates, with three (Whittle, Waters and Coburn) being openly gay, while David Kurten and John Rees-Evans had both said that they oppose same-sex marriage. [23] Kurten faced criticism when he claimed that gay people are more likely to be abused as children. Whittle retorted: "Neither I, nor any of the gay friends and colleagues I have known over 35 years, were sexually abused." [24]
In August, Rees-Evans announced a proposal to offer £9,000 and health insurance to Britons with dual nationality, in return for them moving to countries where they have the right to settle. They would be required to start a business and trade with the UK. This would be to help achieve "negative net immigration towards one million a year", and would be funded by cutting the foreign aid budget. He was condemned by rivals Whittle and Collins; both Collins and Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake compared the proposal to the BNP's manifesto. [25] [26] [27]
On 24 August, Lawrence Webb, UKIP group leader on Havering London Borough Council and former mayoral candidate, tweeted that he "won’t stand for 2018 local elections if Peter Whittle wins". [28] The following day, the Romford Recorder reported that all six of Havering Council’s UKIP councillors "will not stand in next year’s local elections if Peter Whittle is named leader of their party". [29]
Candidate [30] | Political roles | Endorsements | |
---|---|---|---|
Henry Bolton | Candidate for Kent Police and Crime Commissioner in 2016 |
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Jane Collins | UKIP Home Affairs and Justice Spokesperson (since 2016) UKIP Employment Spokesperson (2014–2016) |
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David Kurten | UKIP Education and Apprenticeships Spokesperson (since 2016) London-wide Member (AM) of the London Assembly (since 2016) | ||
Aidan Powlesland | Parliamentary candidate for Suffolk South in 2017 Parliamentary candidate for Harrow East in 2015 | ||
John Rees-Evans | Parliamentary candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth in 2015 Leadership candidate in November 2016 | ||
Anne Marie Waters | Director of Sharia Watch UK (since 2014) Parliamentary candidate for Lewisham East in 2015 | ||
Peter Whittle | Deputy Leader of UKIP(since 2016) UKIP Culture and Communities Spokesperson (since 2014) |
2017 UK Independence Party leadership election | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Votes | % | ||
Henry Bolton | 3,874 | 30.0% | ||
Anne Marie Waters | 2,755 | 21.3% | ||
David Kurten | 2,201 | 17.0% | ||
John Rees-Evans | 2,021 | 15.6% | ||
Peter Whittle | 1,413 | 10.9% | ||
Jane Collins | 566 | 4.4% | ||
Aidan Powlesland | 85 | 0.7% | ||
Turnout | 12,915 | 39.4% | ||
Henry Bolton elected as leader |
Bolton said that his victory had prevented UKIP from becoming a British version of the Nazi Party, condemning rhetoric of a war with Islam. [54] He went on to be sacked as party leader by a vote at an emergency conference of the party in February 2018.
Waters described the election result as a victory of jihad against truth. [55] Singer Morrissey claimed that the party had rigged the vote in order to prevent Waters from winning. [56]
Rees-Evans resigned from UKIP to found a new political party, called Affinity, but instead joined the Democrats and Veterans party and assuming its leadership. Waters set up a new political party, For Britain, [57] [58] but later returned to UKIP in 2023, and made a second leadership bid the following year. [59] Powlesland left UKIP and stood as a local election candidate for the Libertarian Party UK in May 2018. [60]
The UK Independence Party is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of parliament and was the largest party representing the UK in the European Parliament. The party is currently led by Nick Tenconi.
Nigel Paul Farage is a British politician and broadcaster who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton and Leader of Reform UK since 2024, having previously been its leader from 2019 to 2021. He was the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016. Farage served as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 1999 until the UK's withdrawal from the European Union (EU) in 2020.
Gerard Joseph Batten is a British politician who served as the Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2018 to 2019. He was a founding member of the party in 1993, and served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for London from 2004 to 2019.
David Campbell Bannerman is a British politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England from 2009 to 2019. He is currently Chairman of the Conservative Democratic Organisation and The Freedom Association. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously served as Deputy Leader of UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 until 2010, when he was replaced by Paul Nuttall.
James Bruce Carver is a British politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands region between 2014 and 2019. He was elected in 2014 for the UK Independence Party, second on the list for the region, being elected together with Jill Seymour and Bill Etheridge. He resigned from UKIP in May 2018.
Paul Andrew Nuttall is a British politician who served as Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2016 to 2017. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2009 as a UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate, and served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England between 2009 and 2019, sitting in the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group. He left UKIP in December 2018, criticising the party's association with far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and joined the Brexit Party in 2019.
Jonathan William Arnott is a British politician and former schoolteacher. After the 2014 European Parliament election, he served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the North East England region. Originally sitting as a UK Independence Party (UKIP) representative, he resigned from the party on 19 January 2018 to sit as an independent until designating as Brexit Party on 17 April 2019.
Margaret Lucille Jeanne Parker is a British former politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East Midlands region between 2014 and 2019.
Diane Martine James is a British politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 2014 to 2019. She was briefly leader-elect of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from September 2016 to October 2016, but resigned before formalising her leadership. At the time of her election to the European Parliament, James was one of three UKIP MEPs for South East England, before joining the Brexit Party in 2019.
Michael Hookem is a British politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Yorkshire and the Humber from 2014 to 2019.
William Milroy Etheridge is an English politician who was previously a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands region. He was elected in 2014 as a UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate, but left the party in October 2018 and joined the Libertarian Party. He joined the Brexit Party in 2019 but rejoined UKIP in September 2020. He unsuccessfully stood for UKIP leader in 2016, and 2024.
Peter Robin Whittle is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who served as a Member of the London Assembly from 2016 to 2021 and as Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to Paul Nuttall from 2016 to 2017. He is the founder and director of the New Culture Forum think tank and host of So What You're Saying Is..., a weekly cultural and political interview show on YouTube.
Henry David Bolton is a former British politician who was the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 29 September 2017 to 17 February 2018. He served in the British Army, attaining the rank of lance corporal, and went on to reach the rank of captain following his transfer to the Territorial Army from the Regular Army. Bolton has also served as a police officer.
Anne Marie Dorothy Waters is a far-right politician and activist in the United Kingdom. She founded and led the anti-Islam party For Britain until its dissolution in 2022. She is also the director of Sharia Watch UK, an organisation launched in April 2014. In January 2016, Waters launched Pegida UK in conjunction with activist Tommy Robinson and far-right politician Paul Weston.
David Michael Kurten is a British politician who has served as leader of the Heritage Party since September 2020. He was previously a member of the London Assembly (AM) for Londonwide from 2016 to 2021. Elected as a UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate, he subsequently left the party in January 2020. He is the registered leader of the Heritage Party and characterises himself as a social conservative.
The September 2016 UK Independence Party leadership election was triggered after Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, announced on 4 July 2016, following the Leave result in the UK referendum on EU membership, that he would step down when a new leader had been elected.
The November 2016 UK Independence Party leadership election took place following the announcement on 4 October 2016 by Diane James, the leader-elect of the UK Independence Party, that she would not accept the leadership of the party, despite winning the leadership election 18 days earlier. Nigel Farage, whom James was to succeed after the previous leadership election following his resignation, was selected the next day to serve as interim leader.
The 2018 UK Independence Party leadership election was triggered after members voted to remove Henry Bolton as leader of the UK Independence Party at an extraordinary general meeting held in Birmingham on 17 February 2018. It was the fourth UKIP leadership election in eighteen months. Interim leader Gerard Batten was ultimately elected unopposed as the party's new leader.
The 2019 UK Independence Party leadership election took place following the departure on 2 June of Gerard Batten from the leadership of the UK Independence Party. The result was announced on 10 August 2019, with Richard Braine being elected to lead the party. This was the party's fifth leadership election in three years. Braine resigned just two months later, triggering a sixth leadership election.
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