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Brexit Party
ChairmanRichard Tice[1]
LeaderNigel Farage[2]
Founders
Founded20 January 2019; 5 years ago (2019-01-20)[3]
Registered5 February 2019; 5 years ago (2019-02-05)[4]
Headquarters83 Victoria Street
London
SW1 0HW[5]
IdeologyEuroscepticism
Populism
Political positionBig tent
European Parliament groupEurope of Freedom and Direct Democracy
SloganChange Politics
for Good
European Parliament[6]
14 / 73
(UK seats)
Website
thebrexitparty.org

The Brexit Party is a pro-Brexit Eurosceptic political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 2019. It has fourteen Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), all of whom were originally elected as UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidates. It is led by one of these MEPs, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage,[2] who announced he would stand as a candidate for the party in any future European Parliament elections, in the event the UK had not left the European Union.[7][8]

Early months

The party was announced on 20 January 2019 by former UKIP economics spokesperson[9] Catherine Blaiklock, who served as the party's initial leader.[10] It was registered with the United Kingdom Electoral Commission on 5 February 2019 to run candidates in any English, Scottish, Welsh and European Union elections.[11][12][7]

On the day of the announcement, Nigel Farage, who had been an independent MEP since his departure from UKIP in early December 2018, said that the party was Blaiklock's idea, but that she had acted with his full support.[10] In a 24 January 2019 interview, Blaiklock said: "I won't run it without Nigel [Farage], I'm a nobody and I haven't got any ego to say that I am an anybody", and that: "I'm happy to facilitate Nigel and do the donkey work and work for him, but I don't have any illusions as to myself".[13] On 8 February 2019, Farage stated he would stand as a candidate for the party in any potential future European Parliament elections contested in the United Kingdom.[14][15] MEPs Steven Woolfe and Nathan Gill, also formerly of UKIP, stated that they would also stand for the party.[16][17]

On 1 February 2019, Blaiklock told The Daily Telegraph the party had raised £1 million in donations, and that over 200 people had come forward offering to stand for The Brexit Party at the May 2019 European Parliament elections, if the United Kingdom has not left the European Union by then.[18] However, Private Eye reported that opponents of Brexit had applied online as "candidates, activists or donors with false details" to waste the party's time.[19]

Nigel Farage, the current party leader and MEP

After announcing the party's formation, Blaiklock attracted criticism for earlier comments described as Islamophobic.[20] She resigned as party leader on 20 March 2019 over since-deleted anti-Islam messages on Twitter, including re-tweeting messages by far-right figures including Mark Collett, Tommy Robinson and Joe Walsh.[21] Farage said that he would take over as leader, that Blaiklock was "never intended to be the long-term leader"[22] and that the party "is at the moment a virtual party – it's a website".[23] On the party's launch on 12 April, asked about issues with Blaiklock, Farage said: "I set the party up, she was the administrator that got it set up. We had a couple of teething problems, yes, but are we going to be deeply intolerant of all forms of intolerance? Yes."[24]

In April 2019, the party's treasurer Michael McGough was removed from his position after he was found to have made antisemitic and homophobic social media posts.[25]

MEPs

By mid-February 2019, eight MEPs had joined the party: Tim Aker, Jonathan Bullock, David Coburn, Bill Etheridge, Nigel Farage, Nathan Gill, Diane James and Julia Reid. Later in February, they were joined by Paul Nuttall. All were originally elected as UKIP candidates, but all had previously left the party in opposition to Gerard Batten's leadership, mostly in December 2018, although Aker and Etheridge had left earlier in 2018 and James had left in 2016. As of April 2019, they all continue to sit in the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group.[6] MEP and former UKIP member Steven Woolfe has also indicated his support for the party.[16]

On 15 April 2019, Jane Collins, Jill Seymour, and Margot Parker left UKIP to join the Brexit Party.[26] On 17 April, Jonathan Arnott and Ray Finch joined the party and, along with Collins, Seymour and Parker now sit in the EFDD group.[6]

Name Constituency First elected Joined Notes
Diane James South East England 1 July 2014 5 February 2019 (2019-02-05)
David Coburn Scotland 1 July 2014 12 February 2019 (2019-02-12)
Nigel Farage South East England 10 June 1999 12 February 2019 (2019-02-12) Leader of party; seeking re-election in 2019
Nathan Gill Wales 1 July 2014 12 February 2019 (2019-02-12) Former AM; seeking re-election in 2019
Julia Reid South West England 1 July 2014 12 February 2019 (2019-02-12)
Tim Aker East of England 1 July 2014 13 February 2019 (2019-02-13)
Jonathan Bullock East Midlands 28 July 2017 13 February 2019 (2019-02-13) Seeking re-election in 2019
Bill Etheridge West Midlands 1 July 2014 13 February 2019 (2019-02-13)
Paul Nuttall North West England 14 July 2009 15 February 2019 (2019-02-15)
Jill Seymour West Midlands 1 July 2014 15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
Jane Collins Yorkshire and the Humber 1 July 2014 15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
Margot Parker East Midlands 1 July 2014 15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
Jonathan Arnott North East England 1 July 2014 17 April 2019 (2019-04-17)
Ray Finch South East England 1 July 2014 17 April 2019 (2019-04-17)

Policies and ideology

The party has no policies other than its desire for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union without a withdrawal agreement. On 12 April 2019, Farage said that there was "no difference between the Brexit party and Ukip in terms of policy, [but] in terms of personnel, there's a vast difference", criticising UKIP's connections to the far right. He also said that the party aimed to attract support "across the board", including from former UKIP voters and from Conservative and Labour voters who supported Brexit.[24] Later in April, Farage said that the party would not publish a manifesto until after the European elections had taken place.[27]

The British politics professor Matthew Goodwin has described the party as national populists,[28] while he and others have also described the Brexit Party as populist[29] and right-wing populist.[30]

Funding

On 12 April 2019, Farage said the party would largely be funded by small donations and that they had raised "£750,000 in donations online, all in small sums of less than £500" in their first ten days. He also said that the party would not be taking money from key UKIP funder Arron Banks, but that they would accept large donations too.[24][1] On 28 April, when interviewed by Iain Dale on LBC, Farage stated that the party had received "one big donation", but refused to reveal who it came from.[31] The donation was over £100,000.[32]

Elections

The party is standing candidates in Great Britain at the 2019 European elections, with candidates including the former Conservative Minister of State Ann Widdecombe,[33] the journalist Annunziata Rees-Mogg (a former Conservative general election candidate and the sister of the Conservative MP and Brexit advocate Jacob Rees-Mogg), the Leave Means Leave co-founder Richard Tice,[1] the writers Claire Fox and James Heartfield (both once part of the Revolutionary Communist Party and later writers for Spiked),[34][35] James Glancy, a former member of the Royal Marines and the Special Boat Service who was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross,[36] Martin Daubney, a journalist and commentator,[37] David Bull, doctor, author and television presenter,[38] Brian Monteith, a former MSP, Rupert Lowe, a businessman[39] and retired Rear Admiral Roger Lane-Nott.[40] John Longworth, the former director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, announced he would be standing as a candidate for the party on 15 April 2019.[41] The party is not standing a candidate in Northern Ireland.[42]

A survey of 781 Conservative Party councillors found that 40% plan to vote for the Brexit Party.[43] On 17 April 2019, the former Labour and Respect Party MP George Galloway announced his support for the Brexit Party "for one-time only" in the 2019 European Parliament election.[44] On 24 April, the political columnist Tim Montgomerie announced that he would vote for the party and endorsed Widdecombe's candidature,[45] and the Conservative MP Lucy Allan described the candidates of the party as "fantastic".[46]

In April 2019, several polls conducted by YouGov forecast the party polling first for the European elections,[47][48] though other polls suggested it would come third to Labour and the Conservatives.[49]

Farage has said the party intends to stand candidates at the next general election.[50] However, he has promised not to stand candidates against the 28 Eurosceptic Conservative MPs who opposed the Brexit withdrawal agreement.[51] The party also intends to field a candidate in the 2019 Peterborough by-election.[52]

See also

Template:Wikipedia books

References

  1. ^ a b c Halliday, Josh (12 April 2019). "Annunziata Rees-Mogg to stand as MEP for Farage's Brexit party". The Guardian.
  2. ^ a b "Brexit – Nigel Farage: "I will endeavour to start a political revolution"". Talkradio. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  3. ^ Halliday, Josh (20 January 2019). "Nigel Farage to lead new pro-Brexit party if EU departure delayed". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Registration summary: The Brexit Party". Electoral Commission (United Kingdom). 5 February 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  5. ^ "View registration – The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Register of MEPs: European Freedom and Democracy Group". europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  7. ^ a b Jim Pickard (8 February 2019). "New 'Brexit Party' backed by Nigel Farage launches". Financial Times. A new political party backed by Nigel Farage has been launched in an attempt to attract hardline Conservative activists unhappy with Theresa May's attempt to forge a compromise Brexit plan.
  8. ^ Bianca Britton (9 February 2019). "Nigel Farage to lead new 'Brexit Party' if Britain's exit from the EU is delayed". CNN. Retrieved 9 February 2019. The former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) announced in an op-ed for The Telegraph that if Britain's exit from the EU was delayed, he would stand as candidate for the party in the European Parliament elections.
    - "Nigel Farage back in frontline politics as Brexit Party leader", BBC News, 22 March 2019
  9. ^ "Catherine Blaiklock appointed as Economics Spokesman". UKIP. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  10. ^ a b "The new Ukip? Nigel Farage offers 'full support' for another Brexit party". The Independent. Ireland. 20 January 2019. [..] former Ukip economics spokeswoman Catherine Blaiklock applied to register the new party last week and she sounded out Mr. Farage for a role in the organisation. He told the paper: "This was Catherine's idea entirely – but she has done this with my full knowledge and my full support.
  11. ^ "Changes to the registers of political parties made since 27 January 2019: The Brexit Party" (PDF). Electoral Commission. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Brexit Party: Registration Details". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Founder of The Brexit Party: 'I won't run it without Nigel Farage'". Samantha King. 24 January 2019. Talkradio. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  14. ^ Bruce, Andy (8 February 2019). "Farage ready to be new 'Brexit Party' candidate if EU exit delayed". Reuters. Retrieved 8 February 2019. A filing by the Electoral Commission showed the Brexit Party had been approved this week to field candidates across England, Scotland and Wales.
  15. ^ Farage, Nigel (8 February 2019). "My new Brexit party stands ready to defend democracy". The Daily Telegraph.
  16. ^ a b Emily Maitlis (presenter), Owen Jones (guest), Steven Woolfe (guest) and John McTernan (guest) (8 February 2019). "Discussion: Nigel Farage launches new 'Brexit' party". Newsnight. BBC Two. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Nathan Gill set to join Nigel Farage's Brexit party". BBC News. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  18. ^ Hope, Christopher (1 February 2019). "New Brexit party has more than £1m in pledges and slate of over 200 candidates, including Nigel Farage". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  19. ^ Private Eye, 22 February 2019, page 9.
  20. ^ "The Founder Of Nigel Farage's New Brexit Party Has A History Of Anti-Muslim Comments". Buzzfeed. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  21. ^ Walker, Peter (20 March 2019). "Leader of Nigel Farage's party resigns over anti-Islam messages". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  22. ^ Casalicchio, Emilio (22 March 2019). "Nigel Farage will lead new Brexit party as founding boss quits over anti-Islam tweets". PoliticsHome. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  23. ^ Bloom, Dan (22 March 2019). "Nigel Farage declares he'll be Brexit Party leader after boss quits in storm". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  24. ^ a b c Jacobson, Seth (12 April 2019). "Nigel Farage says Brexit party won't take money from Arron Banks". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  25. ^ Walker, Peter (3 April 2019). "Brexit party official removed after antisemitic posts". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  26. ^ Collins, Jane [@Jane_CollinsMEP] (15 April 2019). "I will serve out the rest of my mandate as an MEP for The Brexit Party" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    - "Jill resigns from the UK Independence Party". Jill Seymour. 15 April 2019.
    - Doidge, Chris [@BBCChrisD] (15 April 2019). "UKIP now has no MEPs in the East Midlands" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ "Nigel Farage REFUSES to publish a Brexit Party manifesto until after EU elections", The New European, 23 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  28. ^ Matthew Goodwin, "Are thes the last gasps of our old political order?", UnHerd, 5 May 2019
  29. ^ Matthew Goodwin, "2019 will be Nigel Farage's year - and the Tories' annus horribilis", The Daily Telegraph, 22 April 2019
    - Jamie Prentis, "Brexit poster boy Nigel Farage back in politics to try and save the day", The National, 22 March 2019.
    - Bienkov, Thomas Colson, Adam. "Chuka Umunna interview: Change UK must be about more than just Brexit". Business Insider. Retrieved 28 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    - Bale, Tim (28 April 2019). "Forty years ago, Thatcherism swept Britain. Could our new parties repeat the trick? - Tim Bale". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    - Camilla Long, "Now he's shed the swivel-eyed loons, Farage has a truly dangerous proposition: the truth", The Sunday Times, 28 April 2019, p. 21. "The Brexit Party is more dangerous than anything Farage has ever done [...] He appears to have spent the past two years learning from the mistakes of Jeremy Corbyn and indeed his own former party, producing a leaner, greener, more efficient populist monster"
  30. ^ "Right-wing populist parties are polling well in Britain". The Economist. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  31. ^ Read, Jonathon (29 April 2019). "'It's not fair' - Cagey Nigel Farage refuses to name big Brexit Party donor". The New European. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  32. ^ "Nigel Farage: Name of Brexit Party's biggest donor 'irrelevant'", Sky News, 6 May 2019
  33. ^ "Ann Widdecombe to stand for Brexit Party". BBC News. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  34. ^ Peter Walker, "Former communist standing as MEP for Farage's Brexit party", The Guardian, 23 April 2019
    - Steven Alexander, "Farage plays down candidate's previous defence of IRA", Belfast Telegraph, 6 May 2019
    - Heartfield, James (26 April 2019). "Glad to announce that I am contesting the Yorkshire and Humber constituency for the @brexitparty_uk in the European elections". Twitter. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
    - "The Trotskyist revolutionary". The Mail on Sunday. 21 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019. [unreliable source?]
  35. ^ Sparrow, Andrew; Walker, Peter; Carrell, Severin (23 April 2019). "Labour and No 10 blame each other for lack of progress in talks on Brexit compromise – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  36. ^ Coates, Sam (24 April 2019). "European elections: Leave and Remain party candidates". The Times. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  37. ^ "Brexit Party Unveils Seven New Candidates". Guido Fawkes. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  38. ^ "Our latest candidate to be announced is @drdavidbull doctor, author and television presenter". The Brexit Party. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  39. ^ Chaplain, Chloe (28 April 2019). "European elections 2019: the full list of MEP candidates standing in next month's EU vote". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  40. ^ Wilkinson, Graeme (29 April 2019). "Vote in our EU elections poll as the Brexit row rumbles on". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  41. ^ Longworth, John (14 April 2019). "Why I'm standing for the Brexit Party". The Daily Telegraph.
  42. ^ "Enniskillen bomb campaigner Aileen Quinton stands for Brexit Party at European election". Newsletter. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  43. ^ "Brexit: Labour must back another referendum – Tom Watson". BBC News. 21 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  44. ^ Prince, Emily (18 April 2019). "George Galloway backs Nigel Farage's new Brexit party". The New European. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
    - Williams, Martin (18 April 2019). "Socialist George Galloway under fire for backing Nigel Farage's Brexit Party in EU elections". The Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  45. ^ [https://twitter.com/montie/status/1120990769307889664 Tim Montgomerie on Twitter, 24 April 2019
  46. ^ "Tory MP hails Brexit Party candidates". BBC News. 24 April 2019.
  47. ^ Kentish, Benjamin (18 April 2019). "Tories and Labour to lose out to Nigel Farage's Brexit Party in European elections". The Independent. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  48. ^ "Brexit Party continues to surge in the polls for the European elections as Change UK fall behind Lib Dems". AOL. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  49. ^ "The 2019 European Parliamentary elections". Britain Elects. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  50. ^ "Nigel Farage reveals Brexit Party will stand in next General Election". Evening Standard. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  51. ^ Shipman, Tim; Wheeler, Caroline; Allardyce, Jason (27 April 2019). "Back Farage and be kicked out of party, Tories tell rebel MPs". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  52. ^ Devlin, Kate (30 April 2019). "Farage's Brexit party eyes seat of disgraced ex-Labour MP, Fiona Onasanya". The Times. Retrieved 1 May 2019.


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