The UK Independence Party changed the rules for its leadership election at the eleventh hour throwing the planned contest into disarray. The last-minute rule change by the executive requires all leadership candidates to have been a UKIP member for at least five years.
As the party only rose from obscurity in the past few years, the rule means that nearly all of the senior UKIP figures mooted for the position until now are unable to run for leader.
Arron Banks
These include the sole UKIP Member of Parliament Douglas Carswell, Welsh Assembly Member Mark Reckless, top donor Arron Banks, London Assembly Member Peter Whittle and David Kurten, and former interim leader Suzanne Evans.
As early frontrunner Paul Nuttall has now also ruled out a bid, there were serious questions about how many candidates could be eligible run.
The Party announced today that the following were candidates for the leadership of UKIP:
- Cllr Bill Etheridge MEP
- Diane James MEP
- Elizabeth Jones
- Jonathan Arnott MEP
- Cllr Lisa Duffy
- Philip Broughton
UKIP leadership favourite Steven Woolfe has been blocked from standing, tipping the party into civil war.
Stephen Woolfe
Three members of UKIP’s ruling body, Victoria Ayling, Mick McGough and Ray Finch, have resigned after leadership favourite Steven Woolfe was barred from standing because his application was 17 minutes late. In a joint letter they said there was “escalated megalomania” within the party.
Farage and Banks have both attacked the NEC’s decision, with Farage backers suggesting an emergency meeting to overturn the party’s structure and Arron Banks, the party’s largest donor, branding the move the “last straw” and hinting that he could pull his support from the party and warning it could be “finished”.
He said: “We have been looking at whether a new party should start, which bits we might want to keep and what is the best way of doing things.”
Diane James
ONE of Hampshire’s MEPs Diane James is now considered to be in pole position and favourite for the UKIP leadership.
Ms James shot to prominence in 2013 when she came second to the Liberal Democrats in the Eastleigh by-election, pushing the Conservatives into third place.
Further Reading:
http://www.ukipdaily.com/urgent-appeal-members/
http://www.stevenwoolfe.uk/news–press/statement-by-steven-woolfe-mep-on-leadership-contest
Rumour has it that Farage is about to un-resign again and put a stop to this chaotic leadership election. 😀
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I am no expert on the internal troubles of UKIP, for which I have voted faute de mieux, but without illusions.
My immediate reaction to Mr Woolf’s difficulties, and without taking sides in a leadership dispute in a party to which I have no desire to belong, is that any candidate for the leadership of a political party who leaves his nomination to the last minute, relying on a fax machine to work smoothly, is an idiot.
I can see the logic. No Jonny come lately taking over, with no knowledge of the struggle of ordinary members. Something akin to what happened when John Tyndall allowed a certain chap in to his creation..
But in the meanwhile there is no alternative to fill the vacuum. I wish there were. But the BDP is not on the lips of enough folk to make any difference. UKIP will do good unless in the run up to the next GE unless they mess up. The chances are the press will leap on them if they do.
What we needed is a Brexit party. both Tories and labour are tearing themselves apart, only a fool could vote for either . Unfortunately our education system is churning out fools galore
Apparently Diane James refused to talk about immigration at her last meeting because she says ‘it’s boring’??This woman is likely to be leader of UKIP?
Diane James is a disaster for UKIP. Calling Putin a hero simply creates more controversy for a party that doesn’t know where it’s going. I turn up to conferences and go away demoralized (and I’m not the only one). UKIP is now more PC than the Tories. It’s Ken Clarke but eurosceptic. The stories I could tell are astonishing.
Diane James’s first act as leader was to re-vamp the conference programme so that Neil Hamilton couldn’t speak. He naturally went to the nearest TV camera to spill the beans. The losing candidates were forbidden to speak and a Q & A with party members & the executive was cancelled.
Maybe James admires Putin because he comes from a totalitarian tradition? In any event, immigration needs to be STOPPED. I have no faith that the current UKIP incarnation will do this at all. Brit Dems must hang in there to pick up the pieces.
johnshaw ( Party Official ) Ed , Join us today. best wishes and looking forward to hearing from you , johnshaw
johnshaw (Party Official ) Although Membership decions are not mine to make , I URGE ALL MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS OF UKIP TO APPLY TO JOIN THE BRITISH DEMOCRATIC PARTY TODAY. Having achieved your aim and got Britain to vote itself out of the E.U. SUPERSTATE and with 3.9 MILLION VOTES from anti E.U. and ANTI IMMIGRATION PEOPLE , NOW IS THE TIME TO JOIN A LONG TERM POLITICAL PARTY AS DISTINCT FROM A SUCCESFUL PRESSURE GROUP WHOSE AIM HAS NOW BEEN FULFILLED AND THEREFORE HAS NO LONG , OR EVEN MEDIUM TERM FUTURE.
a joke party run by 3rd rate Tory has beens Our Party must step forward
John Shaw ( Party Official ) Personally I hope we contact DIANE JAMES and ask her to JOIN. Many of the Ukip people should JOIN US !
Totally agree with Adam. With local elections next month the British Democrats have a great opportunity to upstage the crumbling UKIP across the country.