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THE UK INDEPENDENCE Party (Ukip) has elected a new leader, its fourth in just over a year.
The party elected former army officer Henry Bolton as its new leader, the third elected since Nigel Farage resigned from the party after last year’s Brexit referendum.
“Brexit is our core task. However, it is not the end of the line,” he said after being elected at the party’s annual conference in Torquay in southwest England.
Bolton had earlier warned that Ukip could become the “UK Nazi Party” if it elected another candidate, Anne Marie Waters, who ran on an anti-Islam platform.
The rise of Ukip was one of the main factors behind then-prime minister David Cameron calling an EU membership referendum and was then a powerful driving force behind the successful “Leave” campaign.
The party has riven with tensions since then and some commentators said a party set up to oppose EU membership had lost its reason to exist, particularly after the charismatic Farage stepped down.
Farage was succeeded by Diane James, who stepped down in October last year, just 18 days after winning citing a lack of support within the leadership.
The favourite to replace her, Steven Woolfe, pulled out following an altercation with a fellow MEP at the European Parliament that left him hospitalised.
New leader Paul Nuttall left in June after failing to win a parliamentary seat in a general election.
“Without being united, we cannot lead,” Bolton said.
Farage hailed Bolton’s election saying on Twitter that he was “a man of real substance”.
Major Brexit campaign donor Arron Banks said Bolton’s election meant he would “re-engage” with the party.
Supporters say Ukip will play a vital role in holding the government to account for promises made in the Brexit campaign and ensuring there is no backsliding on demands such as cutting immigration.
Earlier, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that there was a “better vibe” around Brexit negotiations but that a lot more work needs to be done to advance the tortuous process.
- © AFP 2017 with reporting from Cormac Fitzgerald
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So, this time a Bolton wins the Battle of the B@stards!
@Ruairi Gagarin: now that’s very good!
Ukip believe in true democracy. Every member gets a chance to be leader.
Seems like a stable, cohesive group
They can elect all the leaders they want. They still won’t be able to polish that turd
I give him a week…
UKIP should be disbanded. Horrible party. Anne Marie Waters should be banned from Ireland. She is one horrible person
@Just Some Guy: On what grounds exactly?
@Just Some Guy: yes of course nobody has the right to disagree with your PERFECT Precious politics.
he kind of ultra nationalism that UKIP represent doesn’t work too well in the modern global world. For them to be anyway effective internationally they need to co-operate with other nationalist groups, which is in total contradiction to their own dogma. Whilst UKIP may have brought BREXIT into being, BREXIT has paradoxically seen UKIP electorally wiped out.
The other major drawback is that they tend to attract the worst of the worst, and most people end up seeing them as a fringe bunch of hateful nut jobs. I also strongly believe that David Cameron should have taken them on, head on, and called them out for what they were, instead of playing stupid politics promising a Brexit referendum just for a few votes.
@Brian McDonnell: Nigel Farrage UKIP party never had any interest into going into politics Their goal was for Britain to exit the EU and they won, anyway its The UKs business not ours, Ireland is very much part of Europe for better or worse, don’t fret what Britain does its their business not ours unless you live there
@Brian McDonnell: Cameron promised an in out eu exit referendum for the 2015 election because he was afraid of losing votes to UKIP, but he & his conservative party underistimated the 50% who wanted to exit the EU
@nick mullen: It is very much our business because of our trade links and the North.
@nick mullen: except that we are linked through history and the GFA. So since it will impact on us in terms of trade, the border etc don’t you think we should give it some consideration?
I actually had to have a few looks at the picture I thought it was michael Martin of ff
And the farce continues
Uwhocares… A bunch of racist, right wing bigots who couldn’t con their way to get a single MP elected. Best thing they could do now is join a cult and drink the Coolaid.
The new captain ,manwareing ,,,,,you stupid boys
“Who are you kidding Mr. Bolton……..”
The fourth
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