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'''Nicole "Nikki" Sinclaire''' (born 26 July 1968)<ref name="EU profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96960/NICOLE_SINCLAIRE.html |title=Nicole Sinclaire |author= |date= |work= |publisher=[[European Parliament]] |accessdate=24 September 2012}}</ref> is a European politician from the [[United Kingdom]] and is a current [[Member of the European Parliament]] for the [[West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)|West Midlands]]. She was elected MEP in June 2009 as a UK Independence Party candidate but later resigned from the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group in which UKIP is part of in the European Parliament, citing the extreme right-wing views of some of the group's members. Subsequently Sinclaire sat as an Independent MEP from January 2010 until in September 2012 she set up the [[We Demand a Referendum]] party.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nicole Sinclaire MEP page|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96960/Nicole_SINCLAIRE.html|publisher=Europarl|accessdate=10 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nicole Sinclaire MEP page|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96960/Nicole_SINCLAIRE.html|publisher=Europarl|accessdate=10 October 2012}}</ref>
'''Nicole "Nikki" Sinclaire''' (born 26 July 1968)<ref name="EU profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96960/NICOLE_SINCLAIRE.html |title=Nicole Sinclaire |author= |date= |work= |publisher=[[European Parliament]] |accessdate=24 September 2012}}</ref> is a European politician from the [[United Kingdom]] and is currently the [[We Demand a Referendum Party]] [[Member of the European Parliament]] for the [[West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)|West Midlands]]. She was elected MEP in June 2009 as a UK Independence Party candidate but later resigned from the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group in which UKIP is part of in the European Parliament, citing the extreme right-wing views of some of the group's members. Subsequently Sinclaire sat as an Independent MEP from January 2010 until in September 2012 she set up the [[We Demand a Referendum]] party.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nicole Sinclaire MEP page|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96960/Nicole_SINCLAIRE.html|publisher=Europarl|accessdate=10 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nicole Sinclaire MEP page|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96960/Nicole_SINCLAIRE.html|publisher=Europarl|accessdate=10 October 2012}}</ref>


Although mainly known for her Eurosceptic policies, Sinclaire has campaigned on issues affecting West Midlands people, from jobs and the environment to human rights.
Although mainly known for her Eurosceptic policies, Sinclaire has campaigned on issues affecting West Midlands people, from jobs and the environment to human rights.

Revision as of 12:38, 14 November 2012

Nikki Sinclaire
MEP
We Demand a Referendum MEP for the West Midlands
Member of the European Parliament
for West Midlands region
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 June 2009
Personal details
Born (1968-07-26) 26 July 1968 (age 56)
Political partyWe Demand a Referendum
Websiteyourmep.org

Nicole "Nikki" Sinclaire (born 26 July 1968)[1] is a European politician from the United Kingdom and is currently the We Demand a Referendum Party Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. She was elected MEP in June 2009 as a UK Independence Party candidate but later resigned from the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group in which UKIP is part of in the European Parliament, citing the extreme right-wing views of some of the group's members. Subsequently Sinclaire sat as an Independent MEP from January 2010 until in September 2012 she set up the We Demand a Referendum party.[2][3]

Although mainly known for her Eurosceptic policies, Sinclaire has campaigned on issues affecting West Midlands people, from jobs and the environment to human rights.

Sinclaire sits on the Committee for Employment and Social Affairs, Committee on Petitions, Subcommittee on Human Rights, Delegation to the EU-Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee, Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly and is a substitute member on the Committee for Women's Rights and Gender Equality.

Biography

Sinclaire was born in London[1] and educated at the University of Kent at Canterbury graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) qualification. Sinclaire has worked for Lloyds as a 'problem troubleshooter', was employed as a Gateway store manager and worked in Cyprus in the hospitality sector.[citation needed]

Political career

Sinclaire held many positions within UKIP including Head Office Manager (1999–2001), member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Party Secretary under the leadership of Roger Knapman.

In 2001 she was disqualified from the NEC, shortly after being elected.[citation needed] In 2003, representing herself, she took UKIP to the High Court, successfully overturning her disqualification.[citation needed] In 2004 she became Party Secretary, a position which she left to become political assistant and advisor to Mike Nattrass, MEP for the West Midlands (2004–2009).[citation needed]

Sinclaire stood for the UK Parliament twice as a UKIP candidate: in Medway 2001 and Halesowen and Rowley Regis in 2005. At the 2001 general election she was the campaign manager for the three Kent constituencies of Medway, Gillingham and Chatham & Aylesford.

During the 2005 UK general election campaign Sinclaire stood as the UKIP candidate for Halesowen & Rowley Regis, more than doubling the previous vote. Although Sinclaire was arrested after refusing to leave a public debate, "Queer Question Time" (to discuss issues related to the gay community),[4] she was released without charge a few hours later.[5]

In October 2008, it was reported that Sinclaire briefly met Baroness Thatcher at a Bruges Group dinner. Sinclaire told Thatcher that she would be standing as an MEP candidate for the UK Independence Party in the West Midlands. According to the BBC report, Lady Thatcher replied "Good for you. Never give up, never give up".[6]

She has also campaigned abroad, most notably in the United States, assisting on campaigns for US Representative Susan Davis and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Election as MEP

In the June 2009 European Parliament Elections she was elected as a UKIP Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands region. She was elected from second place on the UKIP Party list.[7]

On 11 September 2009, Sinclaire announced she would stand in the 2009 UKIP leadership election.[8] The decision to stand followed Nigel Farage's announcement on 4 September that he would stand down as UKIP leader to stand in the general election against John Bercow in Buckinghamshire. The leadership ballot was won by Lord Pearson of Rannoch with Sinclaire coming third with 1,214 votes.[citation needed]

65th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz

Sinclaire was invited as a guest of the European Jewish Congress to take part in events in January 2010 to mark the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.[9] She was the only UK MEP at the event.

Delegation to Tunisia

Sinclaire was the only UK politician to be chosen to fly to Tunisia[10] in early February 2011, as part of an international delegation following the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Campaign for a referendum

Sinclaire launched a campaign for a referendum[11] in July 2010 with the aim to collect 100,000 signatures calling for a referendum on the UK’s continued membership of the European Union.

The campaign's first roadshow was held in Stoke-on-Trent on 29 July 2010[12] and has since visited over 50 towns and cities in the West Midlands alone.

Alongside her weekly road shows, Campaign for a Referendum created a ‘People’s Petition’[13] magazine which is in its fourth issue. The magazine has gathered cross party support.

Taking the petition to Parliament

Sinclaire announced that the petition had[14] collected the necessary 100,000 signatures in a press conference on 9 August 2011.]

This was followed by the official delivering of the signatures to Downing Street on 8 September 2011.[15] Nikki Sinclaire was joined by MEP’s Mike Nattrass and Trevor Colman, along with MP’s Kate Hoey, Nigel Dodds and Kelvin Hopkins.

Campaign for a Referendum went to Manchester for the 2011 Conservative Party conference. Whilst at the conference,she spoke to Prime Minister David Cameron.[16] When cornered on the subject of a referendum, Mr Cameron acknowledged that the petition had been delivered.

A date for the debate in commons on this issue was set for 27 October,[17] which was then changed to 24 October,[18] allowing for the Prime Minister and William Hague to attend.

Despite the motion on a referendum being defeated, the result caused the largest rebellion against a Tory Prime Minister over Europe. 79 Conservative MPs voted for the motion, with a further two Tory abstentions and two acting as tellers for the motion. 19 Labour MPs defied the party whip, alongside One Liberal Democrat.[19]

Despite the defeat in Parliament, the Birmingham Post reported that she was not about to give up the fight of a referendum.[20]

On 31 October 2011 Sinclaire launched the second phase of the petition, which called for a referendum on whether to negotiate the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. The petition aims to be the largest in the country, with the aim that members of the public to table a bill in Parliament.[21]

Campaigning against Irish austerity

Sinclaire lead a delegation of over 20 people to Ireland during May 2012 to campaign for a no vote in the fiscal treaty vote.[22]

Campaigning as an independent, Sinclaire delivered literature which featured Angela Merkel depicted as holding Ireland like a puppet.[23]

Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme

Sinclaire enrolled onto the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme in October 2009.[24]

As a part of this scheme she visited Afghanistan in November 2011, where she was alarmed to speak to troops who worried about how their families were being looked after at home in the UK.[25]

Football in the community

Sinclaire sponsored 13 players during the 2011-2012 season from teams across her constituency,[26] ranging from the Blue Square North to the Premier League. Sinclaire is also a fanatical Liverpool fan and season ticket holder.

Sinclaire sponsored and distributed a leaflet in August 2012 for Worcester City Football Club[27] to help promote their final season at their St George’s Lane ground.

Meriden Travellers

Sinclaire has worked alongside local residents group RAID[28] in protesting against an unauthorised gypsy camp on the Eaves Green Lane site in Meriden, West Midlands.

The Travellers on the Eaves Green Lane site were told they would have to leave[29] and were given a year to move on by Solihull Council in a court hearing in May 2012.[30]

HS2

Sinclaire is an active campaigner against the HS2 project[31] which aims to link Birmingham and London by High Speed Rail.

The Birmingham Post featured her argument with the council about the removal of her anti-HS2 signs.[32]

Aston Arena

She has protested to save the Aston Arena, a sport centre based in Aston Birmingham. She delivered a petition to 10 Downing Street with a local charity calling for the Government to save the sports centre.[33]

Sinclaire also led a protest at Birmingham Council house against the demolition of the sports facility [34]

American Elections 2012

Nikki Sinclaire campaigned in the American elections of 2012 in Richmond, Virginia. Sinclaire supported Tim Kaine in his bid to become a Senator for Virginia[35] . Sinclaire also canvassed for support for President Obama.

Expulsion from UKIP

Sinclaire was elected as a UKIP MEP in June 2009. In January 2010, Sinclaire resigned from the Europe of Freedom and Democracy grouping in the European Parliament, to which UKIP belongs, citing her displeasure at what she claims to be some of the racist, extremist parties that belong to the EFD Group. Controversially, though her Parliamentary Advisor Gary Cartwright[36] has an unrenounced involvement in the same far right, having been a National Democrats candidate and organiser[37][38] prior to joining UKIP, a regular contributor to holocaust denier David Irving's historical revisionist Focal Point website [39] [40][41] and currently maintains an active association with the Springbok Club, which has been described in The Independent as a "racist organisation".[42]

She also cited a deterioration of her relationship with Nigel Farage, who is co-leader of the EFD group.[43]

Sinclaire was subsequently expelled from UKIP for refusing to be part of the EFD group,[44] On its website, UKIP stated:[45]

"She has also proved unable to collaborate adequately with the voluntary party in the UK, particularly with the regional committee in the West Midlands. The national executive committee has therefore removed the whip; Nikki Sinclaire may no longer describe herself as a UKIP MEP, and she may not stand as a UKIP candidate in the forthcoming general election."

She won an Employment Tribunal claim for sex discrimination against her former colleagues after UKIP failed to lodge a defence.[46]

After UKIP

Sinclaire stood in the 2010 general election in Meriden. She used the label 'Solihull and Meriden Residents Association', and was endorsed by the Libertarian Party. Amongst her opponents was a candidate endorsed by UKIP.[47] She won 1.3% of the vote, against 2.6% for the UKIP candidate.[48]

On 22 February 2012 Sinclaire was arrested along with three other people on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud the European Parliament following an inquiry into an allegation made in 2010 concerning allowances and expenses.[49][50]

We Demand a Referendum Party

Sinclaire founded the We Demand a Referendum Party in September 2012, with which she intends to contest all British constituencies in the upcoming 2014 EU elections.[51]

Sinclaire spoke at the We Demand a Referendum Inaugural conference on 5 October 2012.[52]

Electoral history

Year Constituency Party Votes % ±%
2001 Medway UKIP 958 2.5 +1.6
2005 Halesowen and Rowley Regis UKIP 1,974 4.8 +2.4
2009 (European) West Midlands UKIP 300,471 21.3 +3.8
2010 Meriden Solihull and Meriden Residents' Association 658 1.3 N/A

Personal life

In 2004, Sinclaire outed herself as gay in a letter to gay newspaper The Pink Paper.[53] She however stated that she had no desire to be the leader of an LGBT group within UKIP.[53]

References

  1. ^ a b "Nicole Sinclaire". European Parliament. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Nicole Sinclaire MEP page". Europarl. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  3. ^ "Nicole Sinclaire MEP page". Europarl. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  4. ^ Result: Halesowen & Rowley Regis
  5. ^ Protest after candidate arrested
  6. ^ Thatcher relives Bruges heyday
  7. ^ "European elections 2009 results map". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 June 2009.
  8. ^ "UKIP leadership: Runners and riders", BBC News, 19 November 2009
  9. ^ "http://www.voanews.com/content/death-camp-survivors-mark-auschwitz-anniversary-82806847/169767.html". Voice of America. Retrieved 11 June 2012. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  10. ^ "North Africa's first revolution very fragile". New Europe Online.
  11. ^ "Campaign for a Referendum". Nikki Sinclaire MEP. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  12. ^ "BBC Stoke". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  13. ^ "Nikki Sinclaire MEP Launches ambitious 100,000 'People's Petition'". Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  14. ^ "Petitioners push MPs to debate quitting EU after gathering enough support to trigger talks". Daily Mail. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  15. ^ Hall, Macer. "Crusade to Escape the EU marches on No 10". Daily Express. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  16. ^ Walker, Johnathan. "MEP Nikki Sinclaire confronts Cameron over Europe". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  17. ^ "MPs to vote on call for referendum on UK leaving the EU". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  18. ^ "Cameron rejects EU referendum call ahead of MPs debate". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  19. ^ "EU referendum: how the MPs voted". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  20. ^ Walker, Johnathan. "MEP Nikki Sinclaire to continue fight for a referendum on the EU". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  21. ^ "Have Your Say New Petition". www.HaveYourSay.eu. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  22. ^ Coleman, Karen. "Beware of No campaigners with agendas of their own". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  23. ^ "Don't Become Merkel's puppet leaflet". Irish Election Literature. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  24. ^ "Latest News - Nikki to join the RAF". YourMep.org. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  25. ^ "Troops fear that Afghan role is not appreciated". Worcester News. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  26. ^ "Local MEP backing Brewers Blanchett". Burton Albion FC.
  27. ^ Carley, Steve. "Watch club play before big move". www.worcesternews.co.uk. Retrieved 15th August 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  28. ^ "MEP Nikki Sinclaire speaks out to defend rights of residents and greenbelt in Meriden". Meriden RAID.
  29. ^ "Travellers lose high court battle to remain in Meriden". Coventry Telegraph.
  30. ^ Willmott, Chris. "Meriden travellers have one year to leave". Solihull Observer.
  31. ^ "Her views on HS2". YourMep.org.
  32. ^ "MEP Nikki Sinclaire has anti-HS2 banners removed by Birmingham City Council". Birmingham Post.
  33. ^ "Nikki Sinclaire discusses Aston Arena on BBC Radio WM". BBC Radio WM. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  34. ^ Henwood, Chris. "Olympic Flame torchbearer joins fight to save Aston Arena". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  35. ^ "Nikki Sinclaire MEP on the US campaign trail". EU Reporter. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  36. ^ Nikki Sinclaire MEP website
  37. ^ "''The Flag'' no. 106 1999". Web.archive.org. 7 February 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  38. ^ "''The Flag'' no. 105 1999". Web.archive.org. 7 February 2002. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  39. ^ "Focal Point Website". Fpp.co.uk. 14 June 2001. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  40. ^ "Focal Point Website". Fpp.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  41. ^ "Focal Point Website". Fpp.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  42. ^ The Independent 31 July 2009
  43. ^ "Rebel Euro MP Nikki Sinclaire expelled by UKIP". BBC News. BBC. 4 March 2010.
  44. ^ "Rebel Euro MP Nikki Sinclaire expelled by UKIP". BBC News. BBC. 4 March 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  45. ^ UKIP website
  46. ^ "Nikki Sinclaire wins UKIP sex discrimination case" BBC News 23 December 2010
  47. ^ http://www.solihull.gov.uk/Attachments/SOPN.pdf
  48. ^ "Meriden". BBC News.
  49. ^ "MEP Nikki Sinclaire held in European Parliament fraud probe". Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  50. ^ "MEP Nikki Sinclaire arrested in expenses probe". Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  51. ^ "EU vote party takes on Cameron". The Sun. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  52. ^ "Nikki Sinclaire's We Demand a Referendum party holds first conference". Thisisstaffordshire.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  53. ^ a b Foggo, Daniel (29 August 2004). "I won't be your leader, 6ft 4in lesbian tells UKIP's gay members". The Daily Telegraph. London. ISSN 9976-1874. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
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