BREAKING NEWS: The UKIP Leadership Results

The UKIP leadership results are as follows:

Nigel Farage - 6085
Tim Congdon - 2037
David Campbell Bannerman - 1404
Winston McKenzie - 530

EXCLUSIVE: UKIP Tries to Muscle in On TV Debates

Click on the image to enlarge

I have just received a copy of a letter Lord Pearson, the new UKIP leader, has written this evening to ITV, Sky and the BBC in an attempt to muscle in on the three leaders debates. In the letter, Lord Pearson writes...

I accept that UKIP will not win the general election, but neither will the Liberal Democrats.

He goes on to suggest that UKIP is allowed to appear in the parts of the debates relating to Europe, Immigration, direct democracy and the economy. It's a good try but simply won't wash. UKIP doesn't have a single seat in Parliament and doesn't even stand in every seat across the UK. If UKIP is let in, what about the Greens ... or you know who? In the end there has to be some sort of criteria for inclusion in the debates. I'd have thought the first hurdle was having seats in Parliament, the second was standing in every, or virtually every, constituency and the third was that there was some sort of prospect of your party forming a government. The LibDems might fall at that final hurdle, but they are only a few per centage points behind Labour in the polls.

Interestingly, there is no threat of legal action in Pearson's letter. All in all, it seems as if UKIP is going through the motions.

Of course the big question is this: if by some remote chance the broadcasters allowed UKIP to take part, who would represent them - Pearson or Farage?

Interviewing Lord Pearson

Tomorrow morning I am interviewing Lord Pearson of Rannoch, the new leader of UKIP. If you have any questions you think I should ask him, please leave suggestions in the comments.

UKIP Gets a New Leader

News has just broken that Lord Pearson has been elected leader of the UK Independence Party, succeeding the buccaneering Nigel Farage. Malcolm Pearson only joined UKIP a few years ago, having been a leading light (and donor) in the Conservative Party for many years.

He was clearly the most talented of the five contenders for the position (not difficult), but he has a very hard act to follow. Nigel Farage was a terrific leader for UKIP and gave them a profile they never had before. He certainly suffered setbacks along the way, but UKIP has many reasons to be grateful to him - not least that they still exist.

Farage now has the time to concentrate on his campaign to oust John Bercow from Buckingham at the next election, and I don't expect his media profile to diminish very much. If anything, freed from the shackles of office, he may actually become even more prominent.

But Lord Pearson is a powerful advocate and isn't shy himself in the media stakes. He hasn't got the man of the people appeal of Farage, but it will be interesting to see what the media makes of him. I can't say I wish him luck, but he is a fundamentally good man and it's always good to see decent people rise to the top of political parties, even when you disagree with them.

Craig Murray Didn't Deserve Coverage, But UKIP Did

Craig Murray has been whinging in the Mail on Sunday again. "S'not fair," he whines. "The media wouldn't give me any coverage." Perhaps if he had done anything worth reporting, he might have got some media space, but the fact is that the "honest man's" sole noteworthy contribution to the campaign was to put out a virtually libellous leaflet about Chloe Smith. Desperate men... It's rather odd as Mr Murray's entire reputation, such as it is, is built on playing the media for all he's worth.

Whatever I might think of Mr Murray (and I try not to), the media did indeed get the coverage of the candidates from the big parties very wrong. As Nich Starling pointed out yesterday, the BBC in particular gave massive coverage to the Greens, yet managed to completely ignore UKIP. In the event UKIP's vote was substantially higher than Rupert Read's. The Green record in Norwich is what led the BBC to go down that road, but many of us pointed out that their support was largely confined to wards in Norwich South rather than Norwich North.

I do think that the BBC needs to re-evaluate its policy towards UKIP. It has tended them to pigeonhole them along with the BNP in the "too difficult" tray. I understand why, but when they can nearly beat the LibDems in a by-election, perhaps they need to be treated more fairly. I say this not as a supporter of UKIP, but as someone who has come to believe that national broadcasters (and I include ITN and Sky in this) have made very little effort to understand why UKIP is gaining such levels of support or indeed where that support is coming from.

UKIP Can't Spell Its Own Candidate's Name

Just got this through the door at home in Tunbridge Wells. Shame they can't spell Marta Andreasen's name. Jolly difficult, these foreign names, what! Still, it's not that important, is it? After all, it's only gone to about 5 million homes... I do hope that nice Mr Farage isn't in mobile phone throwing mood.

UPDATE: A reader points out that they can't spell Britain either. Look at Farage's biog.

Is UKIP About to Implode?

The Independent has a lengthy feature today on UKIP and its problems, which you can read HERE. The article alleges...

• Annabelle Fuller (who writes the excellent IS THERE MORE TO LIFE THAN SHOES blog) resigned her job after receiving threatening and abusive phonecalls.
• Nigel Farage is facing two rival plots to unseat him.
• A member of the UKIP Executive is a BNP donor.
• Former UKIP leader Roger Knapman is systematically undermining Farage.

After their storming performance at the 2004 European Elections, many people thought UKIP had a real chance to have an impact on the nation's politics. All the indications are that they have blown it bigtime.

The Devil gives his own unique take on this HERE, and explains why he left UKIP.

UKIP's "Zimbabwean" Election Sees Robin Page Barred

Robin Page, the Cambridgeshire farmer and presenter of One Man and His Dog and one of UKIP’s most high profile members, has been prevented from standing as a UKIP candidate at next year’s European Elections for East Anglia – despite finishing third on UKIP’s list last time round.

“It is ridiculous”, says Page. “I did exactly what I was told by UKIP staff – yet I was the one who got penalized and not the staff. It is clear that there are people at the top of UKIP who did not want me to stand in case I was voted to the top of the list. In my view I have been well and truly “stitched up”. It has, it seems, been a Banana Republic election – apparently having much in common with a Zimbabwean election. I even knew what the result would be before one vote had been cast. There is so much sleaze in UKIP at the moment with people being investigated by the police and OLAF (the European Anti-Fraud Office) for a number of alleged offences – I think the hierarchy wanted to prevent me from standing in case I won a place at Brussels and saw how some of them behave. It is a disgrace; the whole thing has been run like a Zimbabwean election – even the UKIP Returning Officer – former Tory MP Piers Merchant is appalled – but claims he cannot do anything about it: “I seem not to have been given the powers to call the election off”, he says, “but shall be preparing a full report in which I will highlight several areas of inadequacy and also cases such as yours, which need a proper investigation”.

Page further alleges that because of the flawed election process several local UKIP branches are refusing to help with next year’s European Elections. He adds:

“UKIP won seats at the last European Elections promising to fight European sleaze and corruption. Sadly some of those elected seem to have enjoyed the European Gravy Train so much that large dollops of sleaze could well have rubbed off on them. It is a tragedy – UKIP had a real chance to make a difference this time round – the electorate needs UKIP. Instead UKIP has become ineffective and, through the antics of some MEPs, it has become a laughing stock. One MEP is reported to have said: “Robin Page must be stopped” – and I have been. I am today suggesting to those two UKIP members who topped the flawed UKIP poll for the Eastern Region, that if they have real integrity they will withdraw from the European elections until a proper re-r un for ALL UKIP candidates is held”.

UPDATE: UKIP has hit back and sent me this statement from Christopher Gill, the overseer of the election process...

"Let us be absolutely clear about one thing - the reason that Robin Page is not a candidate for UKIP at the forthcoming EP election is because he failed to get his application in on time in spite of being given an extended deadline in which to do so. As a potential candidate it was entirely his responsibility to ensure that all relevant paperwork was deposited with Head Office on time - it was not!

"Robin Page can fantasise about conspiracies for as long as he likes but nothing alters the fact that, in spite of having been granted extra time, he excluded himself from the selection process by his own inaction. Robin Page had exactly the same amount of notice as all other candidates to get his application in by the close of nominations on 16th May but the plain fact of the matter is that he failed to do so, notwithstanding the leeway that he was given in which to do so.

UKIP Press Officer Tim Worstall adds: "The truth of the matter is that we gave Robin Page a fortnight of extra time, time unavailable to other candidates, such was our regard for him and our interest in his standing. That he failed to make use of it is something we regret but not, in our opinion, something that justifies his intemperate accusations of today."

Girls, girls!

42 Days: The Unnoticed Rebellion

Apart from Ann Widdecombe and 36 Labour MPs, there was another rebellion last night, which up until now has gone unnoticed. UKIP's only MP, Bob Spink voted with the government thereby defying his new party's policy on 42 days. Nigel Farage has made a big thing out of opposing the government on civil liberties grounds. It must be pretty galling for the party's much heralded only MP to defy him like this - apparently at the personal behest of Gordon Brown.

UKIP supporters are very angry if THIS messageboard is anything to go by.

UKIP Demo Outside LibDem HQ

I just emerged into the sunlight from my bunker office in Cowley Street, not far from the House of Commons to find fifty members of UKIP demonstrating outside the LibDem HQ building. "We want a referendum," they chanted. It looked like a day trip out for the Surbiton Bowls club! It did occur to me that it might have been better to do it outside Labour HQ, as they are the ones who have actually denied us a referendum, but I imagine they were pointing out the illogicality of the LibDems' position in the Lords on this issue, where they have taken a rather different stand to the LibDem MPs in the Commons.

The demo might have been better timed too, because from what I can see, the whole of LibDem HQ seems to have decamped to Henley.

Now, if they'd like to stop chanting, we have a magazine to get to the printers today... [wraps cold towel round head for further bout of proof reading and tries to concentrate].

Tories Should be Glad to see the back of Spink

When Bob Spink had the Conservative Whip withdrawn from him I predicted that he would end up in UKIP. I said at the time that they were welcome to him. I haven't changed my mind. This isn't a defection in he normal sense in that most sensible people in the Tory Party (ie those who know him) will be glad to see the back of him. Many of his views are repellant to the majority of the Conservative Party. I'm not saying this out of any sense of bitterness at his actions - I said it at the time. The lack of support for him in the comments both here and on other blogs was telling.

I will make a further prediction. Within six months Nigel Farage will rue the day he ever met Bob Spink. As UKIP's only MP (albeit not elected under that banner) he will have delusions of grandeur and believe that he should be the de facto leader of UKIP. He's that kind of man. For Farage he spells trouble with a capital T.

UKIP's influence is already on the wane. Spink joining them is not likely to improve their fortunes. Indeed, rather the reverse.

UKIPhome is Dead - It Has Ceased to Be

The barking mad UKIPhome is dead. It has ceased to be. It is a non website. It is thought that the UKIP leadership threatened the site's owner Chad Noble after several incidents where he had embarrassed the Party - most recently when he encouraged a party member to join the BNP.

It surely cannot be too long before we hear that Chad has joined his fifth political party in eighteen months. I think his membership application to the Liberal Democrats is long overdue. Or maybe he'll start his own party again and run it from his new home in south western France. Whatever happens, I suspect one firm prediction I can make is that we have not heard the last of Mr Noble.

UKIP Split Imminent?

Three of UKIP's eleven MEPs have apparently formed a separate group and are operating semi-autonomously from the main UKIP group. The MEPs are Roger Knapman, Tom Wise and Mike Nattrass. Knapman and Nattrass were incensed at Nigel Farage's lack of support for Wise when he was accused of (and admitted to) financial irregularities. You can see more of the ferrets in a sack on the Democracy Forum site HERE. Here's an extract from one the posts.

"Last week it became almost common knowledge amongst a fairly large group of people that Roger K , Mike N,Tom W,and possibly one other had formed a sub-group in the Ind Dem Group .In short they have distanced themselves from Nigel`s control but for ,the time being anyway, they have remained within UKIP .So they have rather cleverly made their point without bringing the roof down and still allowed the group to claim shed loads of money.Apparently EU Parliamentary rules allow this sort of thing ."

Bearing in mind that UKIP had eleven MEPs elected in June 2004, to lose a third of them within three years does seem just that little bit careless.

Is Someone Out to Get UKIP?

Devil's Kitchen compares and contrasts two stories from EU Referendum and Daniel Foggo from The Times. They concern the financial activities of UKIP MEP Tom Wise. If you read the Devil's piece you'd think he was accusing Richard North of plagiarism (see his final paras), but it seems to me that North & Foggo have co-operated with each other in researching the story.

Whatever the truth of it is, the whole saga hardly paints UKIP in a very positive light. It's interesting that this is being raised again now, in the week in which UKIP's very existence has been threatened by the Electoral Commission. Anyone would think there is someone out there who is out to get them.

UKIP Donation Row: Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?

Nigel Farage, the UKIP leader, has just appeared on Sky News alleging that the Electoral Commission is part of an establishment plot to close them down. If I were in his position I'd probably play the injured party to gain public sympathy. After all, for a Party with an annual income of £250,000, it could be curtains if they have to find £367,000 to hand over to Gordon Brown (under the rules the donation is not returned to the donor). Let's ignore the party political side of this for a moment and look at it dispassionately.

Farage is right when he says that the legislation was drafted to catch illicit foreign donations. He alleges it is all down to a simple clerical error. Well, up to a point. It is actually illegal not to put yourself on the electoral register, and we should not ignore the fact it was down to UKIP to ensure he was actually on it. This partly explains why UKIP's accounts are so late. It is clear that UKIP knew this was going to be an issue and have spent the last six months attempting to persuade the Electoral Commission to give them nothing more than a rap on the knuckles.

There is also the issue of fair play here. It was quite right to fine them for the late submission of their accounts, but it is certainly arguable that the punishment of losing £367,000 was far worse than the crime. Their was no attempt to deceive, the donor was British and it was fully declared, albeit late. The question for UKIP now is whether they can afford a Judicial Review. I am no lawyer, but it is certainly a case that is ripe for one I would have thought.

I'm also interested in the implications of this for the Liberal Democrats who still face the prospect of repaying the £2.4 million they received from the jailed fraudster Michael Brown. The Electoral Commission had intended to make a judgement on the permissability of the donation by the end of last year, but as the City of London Police are still conducting their own inquiry, the Commission is waiting until that comes to an end.

UKIP Forced to Pay Back £367,000

Sky News are reporting that UKIP's finances are to be investigated by the Electoral Commission. There are some major discrepancies in their financial accounts and they have been ordered to pay back more than £367,697 of 'unacceptable donations' and fined £1,000 for the late filing of their accounts. I wrote about this back in January HERE. Natutally it was all dismissed as a storm in a teacup at the time. Rather like the LibDems dismissed the furore about Michael Brown. Which reminds me, I wonder how the Electoral Commission is getting on with that particular investigation...

A Question for UKIP

A few weeks ago I WROTE about Ashley Mote MEP joining the pseudo-fascist grouping of Euro MPs, having originally been elected under the UKIP banner. UKIP members denied any association with him. Indeed, UKIPHOME had a rant against me (a not unusual occurrence) and stated the following...

Mote has not been connected to UKIP as an elected official or party member
for over two years.

Well, factually that may be correct, but what are we to make of Ashley Mote's letter to a Hampshire newspaper this week in which he states...

I am enjoying good working relations with many UKIP branches across the
region and have every intention of continuing to work with them whenever the
opportunity arises...

So which is it? Are there working relations between UKIP and Ashley Mote or not?

Farage Fails to Get His Way on Immediate Name Change for UKIP

UKIP has what marketing people call a USP - a unique selling point. The USP is that they are the only political party which advicates withdrawal from the EU. Their leader Nigel Farage believes that if they are to make any further progress they need to broaden out their policy platform. He also believes that the party needs to get away from appearing obsessed by the European issue (which is, after all, why they were formed in the first place) and wants to change the Party's name to The Independence Party. This change was planned to be made before the May elections. However, Farage is meeting resistance from his core support and has had to abandon the plan in favour of a wish to "assert the concept" of 'independence'.

But what's this? The Party which proudly eschews focus groups and opinion pollsters (mainly because it normally can't afford them) has announced that "research had been commissioned into whether to permanently change the party's name, colours and pound logo."

In some ways that should be a plus for them as it implies a certain professionalism which was clearly lacking before. However, it is another sign of them moving away from idealism and becoming just like the three main parties - or at least, that's how many of their supporters may see it. More HERE.