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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. [1] It was the fourth UKIP leadership election in eighteen months. [2] Interim leader Gerard Batten was ultimately elected unopposed as the party's new leader. [3]
After the UK's referendum on EU membership in June 2016 resulted in a vote to leave the European Union, then-leader of UKIP Nigel Farage announced his resignation. In September 2016, Diane James was elected to succeed him, but resigned after 18 days, triggering another leadership election. Held in November 2016, it was won by Paul Nuttall. Nuttall led the party into the 2017 UK general election, but resigned after UKIP's vote share fell from 12.6% to 1.8% and the party failed to win any parliamentary seats.
Henry Bolton was elected to succeed Nuttall in September 2017. In January 2018, UKIP's NEC passed a motion of no confidence in Bolton, following controversy about his personal life. Bolton refused to step down, which triggered an emergency general meeting. This meeting was held on 17 February 2018, and those attending voted by 867 votes to 500 to remove him as leader. [1] Gerard Batten took over as interim leader and the leadership election had to be held within 90 days, before 18 May 2018. [1]
Bill Etheridge, an MEP who had twice stood for the leadership previously, initially announced his intention to stand again, but then withdrew to support Batten. [4] [5]
Batten proposed, in order to avoid the expense of a leadership election, that he be elected uncontested to serve a 12-month term. [6] The Guardian understood that the party was trying to ensure an uncontested leadership election by raising financial and membership requirements. [6]
Batten was elected unopposed, and announced he would resign in 12 months' time. [13]
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 Neil Hamilton.
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.
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.
The UK Independence Party (UKIP) held a leadership election in 2009, with ballots closing on 26 November. The election was won by Malcolm Pearson.
The UK Independence Party (UKIP) leadership election of 2010 was triggered on 17 August 2010 with the resignation of the incumbent leader, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, following difficulties during the 2010 general election campaign, with the result announced on 5 November 2010. Lord Pearson of Rannoch had been leader of the party since the previous leadership election, less than a year earlier. Jeffrey Titford was appointed interim leader during the summer by the UKIP National Executive Committee. Nigel Farage won the election with over 60% of the vote.
Margaret Lucille Jeanne Parker is an English politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East Midlands region between 2014 and 2019. She was born in Grantham and educated at Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School and De Montfort University, where she read Law.
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.
Patrick James O'Flynn is an English journalist and Social Democratic Party (SDP) politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England from 2014 to 2019. He was elected for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) but defected to the Social Democratic Party in November 2018. Since 2019 he has written frequently for The Spectator.
Louise Bours, also known as Louise van de Bours, is a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the North West England region. She was elected in 2014 as a UK Independence Party candidate but resigned from the party 2018, and sat as an independent until she stood down at the 2019 election.
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.
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.
Caroline Yvonne Jones is a Welsh politician who was a Member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales West from 2016 to 2021.
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 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. Former party chairman Steve Crowther was chosen three days later to serve as interim 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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