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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Ukip leader Henry Bolton unanimously loses confidence vote | Ukip leader Henry Bolton unanimously loses confidence vote |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Emergency meeting had been called over fallout from Bolton’s relationship with Jo Marney | Emergency meeting had been called over fallout from Bolton’s relationship with Jo Marney |
| Peter Walker Political correspondent | Peter Walker Political correspondent |
| Sun 21 Jan 2018 17.16 GMT | Sun 21 Jan 2018 17.16 GMT |
| Last modified on Sun 21 Jan 2018 18.49 GMT | |
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| Ukip’s leader, Henry Bolton, has unanimously lost a vote of confidence from the party’s national executive committee, plunging it into renewed chaos and potentially a fourth leadership election in just 16 months. | Ukip’s leader, Henry Bolton, has unanimously lost a vote of confidence from the party’s national executive committee, plunging it into renewed chaos and potentially a fourth leadership election in just 16 months. |
| Bolton’s was the only vote in favour of his staying in the role after an emergency meeting to consider the fallout from his relationship with a much younger party activist who was found to have sent racist text and social media messages. | Bolton’s was the only vote in favour of his staying in the role after an emergency meeting to consider the fallout from his relationship with a much younger party activist who was found to have sent racist text and social media messages. |
| The vote does not compel Bolton to step down, but it will trigger an emergency general meeting of the wider party to formally decide his fate. | The vote does not compel Bolton to step down, but it will trigger an emergency general meeting of the wider party to formally decide his fate. |
| A statement from the party chairman, Paul Oakden, said the NEC heard a statement from Bolton, after which members “asked a number of questions pertaining to that coverage”. | A statement from the party chairman, Paul Oakden, said the NEC heard a statement from Bolton, after which members “asked a number of questions pertaining to that coverage”. |
| It said: “At the conclusion of that discussion, the committee took the decision to hold a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Henry Bolton. The vote was carried unanimously with the exception of the leader.” | It said: “At the conclusion of that discussion, the committee took the decision to hold a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Henry Bolton. The vote was carried unanimously with the exception of the leader.” |
| The emergency meeting will take place within 28 days, unless Bolton were to resign beforehand. There was no immediate word from Bolton as to what he would do. | The emergency meeting will take place within 28 days, unless Bolton were to resign beforehand. There was no immediate word from Bolton as to what he would do. |
| In interviews before the meeting on Sunday, Bolton said he had done nothing wrong in his relationship with Jo Marney. | In interviews before the meeting on Sunday, Bolton said he had done nothing wrong in his relationship with Jo Marney. |
| Bolton has come under increasing pressure after social media and text messages from Marney emerged in which she used racist terms about Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s fiancee, among other offensive language. | Bolton has come under increasing pressure after social media and text messages from Marney emerged in which she used racist terms about Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s fiancee, among other offensive language. |
| Bolton said a new leadership election to replace him would be “unviable” for Ukip’s finances and could finish it as a party. | Bolton said a new leadership election to replace him would be “unviable” for Ukip’s finances and could finish it as a party. |
| “If the NEC decides to go down the route of months of further infighting and further negative media scrutiny by deciding to pass a vote of no confidence in me, then I think that the reality is that the party is probably over,” he told ITV’s Peston on Sunday show. | “If the NEC decides to go down the route of months of further infighting and further negative media scrutiny by deciding to pass a vote of no confidence in me, then I think that the reality is that the party is probably over,” he told ITV’s Peston on Sunday show. |
| Bolton, 54, began a relationship with Marney, a 25-year-old Ukip activist and model, at Christmas, but has said it ended following the offensive messages, and that she has resigned from the party. | Bolton, 54, began a relationship with Marney, a 25-year-old Ukip activist and model, at Christmas, but has said it ended following the offensive messages, and that she has resigned from the party. |
| The relationship brought an end to his marriage to his wife, Tatiana, with whom he has two children. They live in Vienna where she supports the family – his Ukip job is unpaid – through a job with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. | The relationship brought an end to his marriage to his wife, Tatiana, with whom he has two children. They live in Vienna where she supports the family – his Ukip job is unpaid – through a job with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. |
| Bolton said he did not feel the need to apologise for the situation: “I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong. My own personal life is a bit of a mess at the moment and I need to sort that out, of course, but I’m not letting it distract me one iota from my job as the leader.” | Bolton said he did not feel the need to apologise for the situation: “I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong. My own personal life is a bit of a mess at the moment and I need to sort that out, of course, but I’m not letting it distract me one iota from my job as the leader.” |
| His position has been weakened by a series of resignations by leading Ukip figures, including the MEPs Bill Etheridge and Jonathan Arnott, the latter of whom has also left the party. On Sunday, his Brexit spokesman, Gerard Batten, said Bolton should quit. | His position has been weakened by a series of resignations by leading Ukip figures, including the MEPs Bill Etheridge and Jonathan Arnott, the latter of whom has also left the party. On Sunday, his Brexit spokesman, Gerard Batten, said Bolton should quit. |
| In the last period of stability for the party, Farage led Ukip to win almost 4m votes in the 2015 general election, making them the third-biggest party by vote share. | In the last period of stability for the party, Farage led Ukip to win almost 4m votes in the 2015 general election, making them the third-biggest party by vote share. |
| Things went awry shortly after the MEP succeeded Farage in the wake of the Brexit referendum. In just 18 days James was gone, saying splits at the top of the party made it impossible for her to do the job. | Things went awry shortly after the MEP succeeded Farage in the wake of the Brexit referendum. In just 18 days James was gone, saying splits at the top of the party made it impossible for her to do the job. |
| Farage held the fort as interim leader ahead of a new election. | Farage held the fort as interim leader ahead of a new election. |
| The former deputy leader confidently predicted he would help Ukip replace Labour. But this ambition crumbled amid questions about his credibility and a failed tilt at the Stoke Central by-election. He stepped down after Ukip slumped to below 600,000 votes in the 2017 election. | The former deputy leader confidently predicted he would help Ukip replace Labour. But this ambition crumbled amid questions about his credibility and a failed tilt at the Stoke Central by-election. He stepped down after Ukip slumped to below 600,000 votes in the 2017 election. |
| The former party chair stepped up as interim leader as members voted on a permanent replacement. | The former party chair stepped up as interim leader as members voted on a permanent replacement. |
| The little-known former army officer beat off six challengers to win, positioning himself as the sensible candidate who would revamp the party structure. But an unexciting start to his tenure turned chaotic after he began a relationship with much younger activist Jo Marney, who turned out to have sent deeply offensive messages. | The little-known former army officer beat off six challengers to win, positioning himself as the sensible candidate who would revamp the party structure. But an unexciting start to his tenure turned chaotic after he began a relationship with much younger activist Jo Marney, who turned out to have sent deeply offensive messages. |
| But in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Pienaar on Politics, Bolton said the NEC should be “concerned more about the elements within the party that are busy engaged in infighting and in undermining the party and its coherence”. | But in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Pienaar on Politics, Bolton said the NEC should be “concerned more about the elements within the party that are busy engaged in infighting and in undermining the party and its coherence”. |
| He said: “They are not a court of moral judgment and indeed while my personal life is of public interest, this is a matter of the survival and the future of the United Kingdom Independence party, and that is what they should be looking at.” | He said: “They are not a court of moral judgment and indeed while my personal life is of public interest, this is a matter of the survival and the future of the United Kingdom Independence party, and that is what they should be looking at.” |
| Asked about the impact of Marney’s messages, he said: “I did not produce them. They were produced before I even met Jo Marney. She has resigned from the party. She has made a public statement and a statement to the party members apologising profusely and she is appalled at what happened.” | Asked about the impact of Marney’s messages, he said: “I did not produce them. They were produced before I even met Jo Marney. She has resigned from the party. She has made a public statement and a statement to the party members apologising profusely and she is appalled at what happened.” |
| UK Independence party (Ukip) | UK Independence party (Ukip) |
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