Lois Perry | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the UK Independence Party | |
| In office 13 May 2024 –15 June 2024 | |
| Deputy | Nick Tenconi |
| Preceded by | Neil Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Nick Tenconi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 1981 (age 43) [1] Leigh-on-Sea,England |
| Political party | UKIP |
| Other political affiliations | Reclaim Party (pre-2024) Reform UK (Minor Endorsement,2024 onward) |
Lois Perry (born June 1981) is a British politician,broadcaster and activist who was leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from May to June 2024. [2] [3]
Perry founded Car26 in 2021,an anti-net zero group,in response to the Cop26 summit. [4] [5]
Perry was previously a member of Laurence Fox's Reclaim Party,serving as their South East spokesperson. [6] In this role,she called for stop and searches of youths deemed to be suspicious in the Southend area,following a series of antisocial incidents. [7]
In early 2024,Perry declared her candidacy for leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP),after Neil Hamilton announced his retirement. [8] She won the subsequent leadership contest,beating rival Bill Etheridge,with 77.4% of all votes cast. [9]
Ahead of the 2024 general election,Perry revealed that she would be standing in Harlow. [10] Controversially,she was pictured with Reform UK leader and candidate for Clacton Nigel Farage at a lunch event,who she encouraged voters to back,despite UKIP also standing a candidate there. Additionally,she endorsed Reform's Lee Anderson as MP for Ashfield. [11] [12] On 15 June 2024 Perry resigned as leader,in order to spend time recovering from a recent battle with pneumonia,which left her hospitalised. [13] Despite her resignation,she remained a candidate for the general election,due to the nomination deadline having been passed. [14] Perry came last out of all candidates in Harlow,polling only 157 votes (0.4%). [15]
In December 2024,Perry was announced as the Executive Director of the newly-formed Heartland Institute UK/EU. The Heartland Institute is a US-based organisation which describes itself as "the world's most prominent think tank supporting skepticism about man-made climate change". [16] Nigel Farage,the leader of Reform UK,was a guest speaker at the launch event for Heartland Institute UK/EU. [17]