Ukip picks eighth leader in 3 years

UKIP members elected a new leader yesterday – the eighth person to hold the position since the 2016 EU referendum.

Richard Braine, the chairman of the party’s West London branch, won more than half of the vote in a ballot.

Mr Braine was the favoured candidate of former leader Gerard Batten.

Mr Batten stood down after Ukip was wiped out in May’s European elections, haemorrhaging support to Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party.

His leadership had become embroiled in controversy after taking on English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson as an adviser.