William Milroy Etheridge (born 18 March 1970) 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,[3] but left the party in October 2018.[4] He briefly joined the Thurrock Independents before joining the Libertarian Party and serving as its deputy chairman. In 2019,he left the Libertarian Party and joined the Brexit Party,before rejoining UKIP in September 2020. He unsuccessfully stood for UKIP leader in 2016,and 2024.
In August 2014,Etheridge highlighted the speaking style of Adolf Hitler during a public-speaking seminar he gave to members of the UKIP youth wing,including the dangers it presented. According to Etheridge,he was "the most magnetic and forceful public speaker possibly in history"[10] who "achieved a great deal" in relation to convincing people.[11] A spokesman for UKIP said:"Bill Etheridge gave a seminar on public speaking and highlighted great speakers of the past,like Churchill,Blair,Martin Luther King and Hitler as people whose style,not content could be studied".[11] When contacted by The Independent on Sunday,Etheridge stated that "Hitler and the Nazis were monsters" and said "At no point did I endorse Hitler or anybody else".[10]
At the general election in May 2015,Etheridge stood as UKIP's parliamentary candidate for Dudley North. He finished third with a vote of 9,113,triple that of the vote in 2010. At 24% of the votes cast,it also represented double the national average for UKIP.
Etheridge,who is also a member of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA),has been active in the UKIP front campaign;West Midlands Save The Pub. He has urged the Conservative government to increase the power of the Asset of Community Value,brought in as part of the Localism Act 2011. This would enable local communities to acquire their local pubs. This did lead to Etheridge making efforts to save a number of pubs in his ward,including The Seven Stars.[12]
Etheridge sat on the EU Regional Development Committee;his belief that power should be handed back to communities has seen him emerge as a critic of combined authorities.
In May 2017,Etheridge launched his book;Putting Great Back In Britain,with a guest appearance from Nigel Farage. In the book,Etheridge outlines his vision for a post-Brexit Britain.
Etheridge is a prominent[citation needed]UK libertarian and is chairman of The Indigo Group.[14] He has launched a platform of libertarian policies in his EFDD book,Prosperous,Happy and at Peace,co-authored with Paul Brothwood.
Etheridge launched a book,The EU's engagement with the politics of international recognition,co-authored with Paul Brothwood,at an EU conference about Somaliland on 6 December 2018.
Resignation from UKIP and subsequent MEP activity
Etheridge left UKIP on 2 October 2018,saying the party is seen by voters as a "vehicle of hate towards Muslims and the Gay community".[15] He remained part of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group in the European Parliament,sitting for a brief period as a Thurrock Independents MEP.[16]
At the Liberty Rising Conference on 6 October 2018,Etheridge announced he had joined the Libertarian Party. He became its deputy chairman.[17] After sitting with the Thurrock Independents from 2 October,he formally became a Libertarian Party MEP on 8 October 2018.[16] In February 2019,Etheridge left to join the Brexit Party,whom he represented for the remainder of his term.[18][16] After this change in allegiance,he ceased to serve as the deputy chairman of the Libertarian Party.[19]
In July 2016, Etheridge launched his bid to become leader of UKIP following the resignation of Nigel Farage. Launching his campaign at the Seven Stars pub in Sedgley, Etheridge said: "I want us to represent the view of the people against the establishment". Etheridge received 13.7% of the vote, with the third-most votes cast. He promised to work and support with the new leader, Diane James,[20] who was only briefly in the post. His policy proposals included cheaper beer, better representation for fathers in the family court system and a referendum on bringing back the death penalty.[20] Also amongst his policy proposals were prison reform and a move to save the British public house by reintroducing smoking via the use of efficient extraction systems as used within the European Parliament itself. While in favour of Muslim faith schools and same-sex marriage, he advocates banning the burka.[21]
In October 2016, Etheridge launched his bid to become leader of UKIP following Diane James's resignation, after declaring he would refuse to back Steven Woolfe and stand himself during an interview on the BBC's Sunday Politics. He withdrew on 25 October, and endorsed the eventual winner, Paul Nuttall.
Etheridge subsequently launched his third leadership bid for the 2017 UK Independence Party leadership election, having previously stood in both of UKIP's 2016 leadership elections.[22] 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.[23] Etheridge stated that "whichever side wins, the other side won't have a future in the party".[23] On 26 July 2017, two days before close of nominations, Etheridge withdrew his candidacy.[24]
In the 2024 leadership election, Etheridge stood for the position, alongside Lois Perry, to succeed Neil Hamilton.[26]He came second to Perry, receiving 20.89% of the vote.[27]Etheridge congratulated Perry on X over her "resounding victory, adding "she has my full support."[28]In an interview with broadcaster James Freeman a month later, however, he expressed doubt over how the election was conducted. Etheridge said: “I’m prepared to believe that a large number of activists and people involved in the party appeared to have voted for me, yet the vote turned out to be about 80% to 20% to Lois… So, I’m prepared to believe that a lot of people who aren’t actually active members must have voted, and all voted for Lois. I’m prepared to believe that…" When Freeman put to him that Perry may have been convinced by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and their sitting MP Lee Anderson, to collapse UKIP, Etheridge responded with: “What an interesting theory. I couldn’t possibly comment on that theory other than to say I find it fascinating…”[29]
Post-MEP career
In September 2020, Etheridge rejoined UKIP and became the party's economics spokesman.[30]
In October 2025, he was announced as Conservative Candidate for Dudley Council for the May 2026 elections.|
At the 2024 general election, Etheridge endorsed Conservative candidate Marco Longhi for Dudley North, warning voters not to "be taken in by any shallow, fake Brexiteers."[31]Searchlight later reported that Etheridge had resigned from UKIP during the election campaign, amid doubts over the integrity of the party leadership.[32]
References
↑ "Key dates ahead". European Parliament. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
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