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British eurosceptic party United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) has been thrown into turmoil again when its members removed leader Henry Bolton after less than five months in charge following criticism of his leadership and a scandal about racist comments made by his lover about Meghan Markle.
Key points:
- Henry Bolton will step down as UKIP's leader
- He did not rule out running for leader again
- He was removed after lover Jo Marney said Meghan Markle would taint the royal family
The anti-EU UKIP was an influential force in bringing about a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union in 2016, but has struggled to maintain its relevance since the country voted to leave the EU.
Former army officer Mr Bolton, 54, was not widely known outside the party when he became UKIP's fourth leader in a year in September.
Backed by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage to turn the party's fortunes around, Mr Bolton was instead humbled by party members, when 63 per cent of 1,378 ballots cast at an extraordinary general meeting were for his removal.
"I'm slightly disappointed … It's not a great feeling," Mr Bolton told Sky News, but he did not rule out running for leader again.
"I'm not finished in politics, it's just one of those bumps in the road."
Lover's racist and offensive text messages
Mr Bolton publicly fell out with the party's national executive committee, which had tried to remove him after his 25-year-old lover, Jo Marney, made offensive comments about Prince Harry's fiancee Ms Markle in text messages to a friend.
She said black people were "ugly" and Ms Markle would "taint" the royal family.
The text messages, obtained by UK newspaper the Mail, also said Ms Markle was a "dumb little commoner" with a "tiny brain".
Ex-leader Mr Farage, who is still a regular fixture on TV and radio in Britain, continued to back Mr Bolton after the scandal.
Under Mr Farage, UKIP won nearly four million votes, or a 12.6 per cent share of ballots cast, in the 2015 election on its anti-EU platform.
UKIP's success was a factor in influencing then-Prime Minister David Cameron to hold the Brexit referendum.
But the party has seen its poll ratings slide since then, and has struggled to move out of Mr Farage's shadow since the referendum.
Neil Hamilton, UKIP's leader in Wales, told Sky that Mr Farage had been "shackling himself to a corpse" in supporting Mr Bolton.
Outgoing party chairman Paul Oakden said a new leadership election would happen within 90 days.
Gerard Batten, a member of the European Parliament for London and the party's former Brexit spokesman, was made interim leader.
"We've had many crises in UKIP, and I think this one today was about whether we have a future or not," he told party delegates on Sunday.
"I believe that you have made the best decision that you could in the circumstances."
Reuters
Topics: world-politics, race-relations, people, elections, united-kingdom
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