2006 UK Independence Party leadership election

United Kingdom independence party (UKIP) leadership election

2006 UK Independence Party leadership election | <- 2002 | 2006 | 2009 ->

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|  |  |

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Candidate  | Nigel Farage | Richard Suchorzewski
Popular vote  | 3,329 | 1,782
Percentage  | 44.0% | 23.5%

* * *

|  |
Candidate  | David Campbell Bannerman | David Noakes
Popular vote  | 1,443  | 1,092
Percentage  | 19.0%  | 11.2%

* * *

| Leader before election

Roger Knapman

| Elected Leader

Nigel Farage

|

The UK Independence Party (UKIP) held a leadership election in September 2006.

The Eurosceptic party had been led since 2002 by Roger Knapman. Although he was entitled to stand for second term of office on the expiry of his four-year term, he decided not to.[1]

## Candidates

[edit]

Four candidates stood in the election:

* Nigel Farage was an MEP for South East England, and the group's leader in the European Parliament. He called for the party to avoid being seen as a single issue pressure group, by focussing campaigning on low taxation, selective education and a distinctive trade policy.[1] He was viewed as the highest-profile candidate, and was backed by the party's largest donor, Alan Bown.[2]
* Richard Suchorzewski, the Chair of UKIP Wales,[1] had defected from the Conservative Party in 2004, and called for the party to develop greater internal democracy, with the formation of a governing committee who would liaise with members on policy initiatives. He also wanted to prioritise the recruitment of more members under 40 and for party leaders to be based permanently in the UK. He attracted the backing of former chairman Petrina Holdsworth.[3]
* David Campbell Bannerman was a former Conservative Party councillor and former chairman of the Bow Group, who had joined UKIP in 2002, and became its chairman in early 2006. He also called for the party to broaden its policies, and wanted to focus on democracy and freedom from government interference. If elected, he wanted to work alongside Farage, who he hoped would remain the party's leader in the European Parliament.[4]
* David Noakes, a computer consultant, called for the party to strengthen its focus on anti-EU campaigning. He stressed his belief that the European Union was equivalent to a police state. He called for co-operation with trade unions to organise an anti-EU general strike and for creating a permanent protest outside the British Houses of Parliament with a van broadcasting the party's message.[5]

## Result

[edit]

Farage was elected, with 44% of the votes cast.[1][6]

Candidate  | Votes  | % share

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|

Nigel Farage | 3,329  | 44.0
Richard Suchorzewski  | 1,782  | 23.5
David Campbell Bannerman | 1,443  | 19.0
David Noakes | 851  | 11.2
Spoiled votes  | 169  | —
Turnout | 7,574  | 46.0

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Dave Harvey, "West: UKIP flower fades", BBC News, 8 June 2006
2. ^ "UKIP hungry for change", BBC News, 16 August 2006
3. ^ "UKIP contender: Richard Suchorzewski", BBC News, 27 July 2006
4. ^ "UKIP contender: David Campbell Bannerman", BBC News, 27 July 2006
5. ^ "UKIP contender: David Noakes", 27 July 2006
6. ^ "UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY (UKIP) LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS 2002-2016". Tom Quinn, Senior Lecturer in Government, University of Essex.

* v
* t
* e

UK Independence Party

Leadership

| Leaders|

* Alan Sked
* Craig Mackinlay (acting)
* Michael Holmes
* Jeffrey Titford
* Roger Knapman
* Nigel Farage
* Lord Pearson
* Jeffrey Titford (acting)
* Nigel Farage
* Diane James
* Nigel Farage (acting)
* Paul Nuttall
* Steve Crowther (acting)
* Henry Bolton
* Gerard Batten
* Richard Braine
* Patricia Mountain (acting)
* Freddy Vachha
* Neil Hamilton
* Nick Tenconi

|

Deputy Leaders|

* Craig Mackinlay
* Graham Booth
* Mike Nattrass
* David Campbell Bannerman
* Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
* Paul Nuttall
* Peter Whittle
* Margot Parker
* Mike Hookem
* Patricia Mountain
* Rebecca Jane
* Nick Tenconi

Chairs|

* Nigel Farage
* Mike Nattrass
* David Lott
* Petrina Holdsworth
* David Campbell Bannerman
* John Whittaker
* Paul Nuttall
* Steve Crowther
* Paul Oakden
* Tony McIntyre
* Kirstan Herriot
* Ben Walker

Deputy Chairs|

* Neil Hamilton
* Diane James
* Suzanne Evans
* William Legge
* Margot Parker
* Pete Muswell (interim)

Treasurers|

* Craig Mackinlay
* Marta Andreasen
* Stuart Wheeler
* Andrew Reid
* Mark Harland

Organisation

| Internal elections|

* 2006 leadership (Farage)
* 2009 leadership (Pearson)
* 2010 leadership (Farage)
* July–September 2016 leadership (James)
* October–November 2016 leadership (Nuttall)
* 2017 leadership (Bolton)
* 2018 leadership (Batten)
* 2019 leadership (Braine)
* 2020 leadership (Vachha)
* 2021 leadership (Hamilton)
* 2024 leadership election

|

International affiliations|

* Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy

History|

* National Electoral Performance
* Anti-Federalist League

Breakaway groups|

* Veritas
* New Deal
* One London
* Brexit Alliance
* We Demand a Referendum Now
* Independence from Europe
* Thurrock Independents
* For Britain Movement
* Brexit Party/Reform UK

Political representation

| Former MEPs|

* Stuart Agnew (voted out)
* Tim Aker (defected)
* Marta Andreasen (defected)
* Jonathan Arnott (defected)
* Janice Atkinson (expelled)
* Amjad Bashir (defected)
* Gerard Batten (voted out)
* Godfrey Bloom (expelled)
* Graham Booth
* Louise Bours (defected)
* John Bufton
* Jonathan Bullock (defected)
* David Campbell Bannerman (defected)
* James Carver (defected)
* Derek Clark
* David Coburn (defected)
* Trevor Colman
* William Dartmouth (defected)
* Bill Etheridge (defected)
* Nigel Farage (defected)
* Ray Finch (defected)
* Nathan Gill (defected)
* Roger Helmer
* Michael Holmes (defected)
* Mike Hookem (voted out)
* Diane James (defected)
* Robert Kilroy-Silk (defected)
* Roger Knapman
* Ashley Mote (expelled)
* Mike Nattrass (defected)
* Paul Nuttall (defected)
* Patrick O'Flynn (defected)
* Julia Reid (defected)
* Nikki Sinclaire (expelled)
* Jeffrey Titford
* John Whittaker
* Tom Wise (expelled)
* Steven Woolfe (defected)
* Jane Collins (defected)
* Margot Parker (defected)
* Jill Seymour (defected)

|

Former MPs|

* Douglas Carswell (defected)
* Mark Reckless (voted out)
* Bob Spink (voted out)

* v
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* e

Nigel Farage

* MP for Clacton (2024–)
* Leader of Reform UK (2024–present)
* Leader of UKIP (2010–2016)
* MEP for South East England (1999–2020)

Elections|

* Leadership elections
* 2006
* 2010
* European elections
* 2009
* 2014
* Clegg–Farage debate
* EFFD
* 2014 by-elections
* Clacton
* Rochester & Strood
* 2015 general election
* South Thanet polling
* UKIP leadership resignation
* 2019 European election
* 2019 general election
* 2024 general election
* Clacton in the 2024 general election

Brexit|

* 2016 EU referendum
* Grassroots Out
* Breaking Point
* Results
* causes

Other|

* Political positions
* Electoral history
* UKIP: The First 100 Days
* Meet the Ukippers
* Conservative pact
* Coutts bank scandal
* UKIP Calypso
* The Purple Revolution
* The Nigel Farage Show
* Farage
* Brexit: The Uncivil War

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