This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/16/ukip-elects-diane-james-as-new-party-leader

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Ukip elects Diane James as new party leader Ukip elects Diane James as new party leader
(about 2 hours later)
Ukip has elected Diane James as its first female leader, as the party faces a struggle for relevance after the Brexit vote and departure of Nigel Farage. Ukip has elected Diane James as its first female leader, amid signs that Nigel Farage will continue to exert a strong influence over the party.
James, a former parliamentary candidate who came close to taking Eastleigh off the Liberal Democrats in 2013, won with 47% of the vote out of a wide field of relative unknowns. The former businesswoman won the contest with 47% of the vote and the backing of key allies of Farage, including the major donor Arron Banks.
The 56-year-old former businesswoman will have to contend with a party riven by infighting between various factions, including Farage loyalists, a circle around the former Conservative cabinet minister Neil Hamilton, and others close to Douglas Carswell, the party’s only MP. Her election means six of the political parties represented at Westminster are led by women, with Theresa May at the helm of the Tories, Nicola Sturgeon leading the SNP, Caroline Lucas co-leader of the Greens, Leanne Woods in charge of Plaid Cymru and Arlene Foster heading the Democratic Unionist party. The Liberal Democrats and Labour have never had a female leader.
After her election was announced at the party conference in Bournemouth on Friday, James punched the air as she made her way to the stage where she posed with Farage before starting her acceptance speech. James, 56, rose to prominence in Ukip after coming second in the Eastleigh byelection of 2013, before taking on roles as home affairs spokesperson and deputy chairman.
“You did it,” she said, referring to delegates and the referendum result, adding: “I did it.” As the result was announced at the party’s conference in Bournemouth, she wasted no time in delivering a message to the prime minister that Ukip intends to push for a “hard Brexit”.
She said she was “truly honoured” to “take it on from Nigel”. She said: “Project Fear tactics have had their days and we are going to ensure they never rise from the political ashes ever again.” “From one grammar school girl to another, stop the faff, stop the fudge and the farce. Get on with it. Invoke article 50 and give Ukip the best Christmas present,” she said.
Her role will also be complicated by Farage’s decision to stay on as leader of the party’s group in the European parliament, creating a separate power base in Brussels and wielding some influence over funding. James threw her hat into the ring after Farage stepped down as Ukip leader following the EU referendum, saying he had “done his bit” for the party.
Farage tacitly backed James for the leadership and used a valedictory conference speech to say he would support but not “meddle or try to influence” the new leader. However, his intention to stay on as leader in Brussels suggests he still intends to play a role in the party’s EU strategy. However, he announced on Friday that he would still be continuing as leader of Ukip’s group in Brussels. His continued involvement appears to have the blessing of James, who said she was delighted to have a former leader who “still wants to be beside me as your next leader and a stalwart supporter of Brexit”.
In his speech, he warned Theresa May that she must pass three tests to make sure “Brexit means Brexit”: regaining control of fishing rights, getting out of the single market and returning to the old British passport. She punched the air as she made her way to the stage, where she posed with Farage before starting her acceptance speech. “You did it,” James said, referring to delegates and the referendum result, adding: “I did it.”
Concerns that Farage intends to remain a backseat driver to the new leader were evident from the conference main stage. In particular, the former Ukip leader is pushing for reform of the national executive committee, which has recently been hostile to his leadership. She said she was honoured to “take it on from Nigel”. Farage promised not “to meddle or influence” his successor, but his decision to stick around will dismay those in Ukip who believe he needs to go to allow the party to heal, after a year of bitter public feuds.
But Paul Nuttall, the deputy leader, said Farage should step back and resist the temptation to interfere. He issued a plea for the party to stop its internal battles, saying the fighting was a “cancer” eating away at the party and likened it to “a jigsaw that has been emptied on to the floor”. James said the party would need to change to become a “winning machine” under her leadership. One of her first jobs will be to unite various factions, including Farage loyalists, a circle around the former Conservative cabinet minister Neil Hamilton, and people close to Douglas Carswell, the party’s only MP.
She faces a struggle to keep Ukip relevant after May promised to carry out the Brexit vote and bring in new grammar schools – two major Ukip policies.
Speaking after the result, James claimed that “threats to the Brexit result are increasing every day”. She listed Ukip’s demands as: “No to soft Brexit. No to single market controls and no to unrestricted freedom of movement into this country. If they come in, they come in on a fair basis.”
Farage warned May that she must pass three tests to make sure “Brexit means Brexit”: regaining control of fishing rights, getting out of the single market and returning to the old British passport.
Concerns that Farage intends to remain a backseat driver were evident from the conference main stage. In particular, the former Ukip leader is pushing for reform of the national executive committee, which has recently been hostile to his leadership.
Paul Nuttall, the outgoing deputy leader, said Farage should step back and resist the temptation to interfere. He issued a plea for the party to stop its internal battles, saying the fighting was a “cancer” eating away at the party and likening it to “a jigsaw that has been emptied on to the floor”.