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. UKIP's visibility and success was chiefly associated with two-time leader Nigel Farage;since his second departure in 2016,the party has seen a steep decline in support and eleven different leaders,the most recent being Lois Perry who resigned after just 34 days. Following Perry’s resignation,the party has been led in the interim by Nick Tenconi since June 2024.
Nigel Paul Farage is a British politician and broadcaster who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton and the Leader of Reform UK since 3 July 2024,having previously been its leader from 2019 to 2021 when it was called the Brexit Party. He also 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.
The 2004 European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's part of the wider 2004 European Parliament election which was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union. The United Kingdom's part of this election was held on Thursday 10 June 2004. The election also coincided with the 2004 local elections and the London Assembly and mayoral elections. In total,78 Members of the European Parliament were elected from the United Kingdom using proportional representation.
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.
Paul Sykes is an English businessman and political donor. He opposed Britain's membership of the European Union and has donated to the UK Independence Party. He had previously supported the Conservative Party,but disagreed with its support of the Maastricht Treaty.
John Douglas Wilson Carswell is a British-American former politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2017,co-founded Vote Leave and currently serves as president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
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.
Clacton is a constituency in Essex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Nigel Farage of Reform UK. It is centred on the seaside town of Clacton,hence its name.
The 2009 European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election,the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009. The election was held concurrently with the 2009 local elections in England. In total,72 Members of the European Parliament were elected from the United Kingdom using proportional representation.
Thomas Harold Wise is a former Independent and UKIP Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England. A former police officer,he was elected in 2004 as a member of the UK Independence Party but later had the whip withdrawn when allegations of misuse of parliamentary expenses surfaced in The Sunday Telegraph. Following an inquiry carried out by the European Anti-Fraud Office,Wise was formally charged with false accounting and money laundering by Bedfordshire Police. After initially pleading not guilty,he admitted the charges and was sentenced in November 2009 at Southwark Crown Court to a two-year term of imprisonment. He is thought to be the first MEP to be jailed for expenses fraud. Sentencing him,the judge said that Wise had engaged in "deliberate and blatant dishonesty" and had set about to defraud the European Parliament almost as soon as he was elected.
The UK Independence Party (UKIP) held a leadership election in September 2006.
Craig Mackinlay is a Conservative Party politician and businessman. From 2015 to 2024,he was the last Member of Parliament (MP) for South Thanet.
The UK Independence Party (UKIP) held a leadership election in 2009,with ballots closing on 26 November. The election was won by Malcolm Pearson.
Mark John Reckless is a British lawyer and former politician who served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales East from 2016 until 2021,having previously served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochester and Strood from 2010 to 2015. Initially a member of the Conservative Party,he crossed the floor to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in September 2014. He has since changed parties a further three times.
The 2014 European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2014 European Parliament election,held on Thursday 22 May 2014,coinciding with the 2014 local elections in England and Northern Ireland. In total,73 Members of the European Parliament were elected from the United Kingdom using proportional representation. England,Scotland and Wales use a closed-list party list system of PR,while Northern Ireland used the single transferable vote (STV).
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.
On 5 June 2014,a by-election was held for the UK parliamentary constituency of Newark,following the resignation of Patrick Mercer. Conservative Robert Jenrick won the seat with a majority of 7,403.
Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy was a Eurosceptic and populist political group in the European Parliament. The EFDD group was a continuation for the Eighth European Parliament of the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group that existed during the Seventh European Parliament,with significant changes to group membership.
On 9 October 2014,a by-election was held for the UK parliamentary constituency of Clacton in Essex,England. The by-election was triggered by the Conservative MP for Clacton,Douglas Carswell,defecting to the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and subsequently resigning his seat to seek re-election as its candidate.
Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Nigel Farage has served as the party's leader since June 2024 and Richard Tice has served as the party's deputy leader since July 2024. The Party currently has five Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons and one member of the London Assembly. Following Farage's resumption as leader during the 2024 general election,there was a sharp increase in support for the party. In the election it was the third largest party by popular vote,with 14.3% of the vote share.
