The shock new leader of Ukip is... a eurocrat!
‘Brexit is core task but not end of line’
A FORMER eurocrat and Liberal Democrat candidate was surprisingly elected the new leader of Ukip yesterday, beating the anti-Islamic favourite.
Henry Bolton, 5 , who was virtually unknown even within his own party, is a former Army officer who worked for the European Commission.
Ex-party leader Nigel Farage voted for him and said he was ‘delighted’ he had won, adding: ‘He is a man of real substance. If you look at this bloke’s experience, he has more life experience than the other party leaders added up together and multiplied by ten.
‘Is he a solid, sensible, decent, non-extreme human being? Absolutely. I voted for him and I will help him. Do I think tonight that Ukip has a chance? Absolutely.’ However, the election of the former soldier and policeman once decorated for bravery, came as a shock to many.
Mr Bolton, from Folkestone, Kent, once stood as police commissioner for the county, was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to international security and was paid by the Foreign Office to work in Brussels.
Bookies’ favourite Anne Marie Waters, who has said that Islam is ‘evil’, came second. Many had opposed her extreme views and there were fears a win for her would have triggered the resignations of 18 of the party’s 20 MEPs.
Earlier this month, Mr Bolton warned that Ukip was in danger of becoming the ‘UK Nazi Party’ if it picked the wrong leader.
He has, however, previously said that Islam is a ‘problem’.
Mr Bolton told party members at the annual conference in Torquay yesterday: ‘Brexit is our core task, however it is not the end of the line.’
He called on members to rally around Ukip, saying: ‘Without being united, we cannot lead.’