UK Independence Party

The UK Independence Party, commonly known as UKIP, is a right leaning British political party that called for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (EU). The European Union is an alliance formed among many European countries in 1993 to generate political, cultural, and economic unity within Europe. After the UK left the EU in 2020, the UKIP shifted their focus to issues such as immigration, limiting immigrants, and lowering taxes.

Alan Sked, professor of international history at the London School of Economics and Political Science, established the UK Independence Party in 1993 to oppose the Maastricht Treaty, which authorized the creation of the EU. Sked wanted his party to fight for a referendum, or nationwide vote, on the United Kingdom leaving the EU to become politically independent.

The UK Independence Party initially struggled to distinguish itself in parliamentary elections among the more mainstream Conservative and Labour Parties. The UKIP gradually became a more significant political force in the late 1990s and early twenty-first century, as it elected candidates to local political offices and to the European Parliament, the legislative body of the EU. In 2016, the UK voted to leave the EU in a referendum informally known as Brexit. Following the vote, UKIP leader Nigel Farage resigned his post, saying his political goal had been achieved.

Background

The UK Independence Party developed out of the Anti-Federalist League, a small political movement that Sked founded in 1991 as a vehicle for opposing the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. This document allowed the EU to be founded in 1993. The EU joined the nations of Europe politically by creating the European Parliament for managing the alliance's legislative issues. It also designated a single European economic market that facilitated the free movement of citizens, money, goods, and services across the borders of EU countries.

Sked and his Anti-Federalist League firmly opposed the UK's membership in the EU. The league's philosophy called for the UK to retreat from the partnership to become politically and economically independent. Sked hoped to elect Anti-Federalist League candidates to the British Parliament in the 1992 general election so they could formally oppose the Maastricht Treaty. In 1993, after a dismal showing in the previous year's elections, the Anti-Federalist League changed its name to the UK Independence Party to make its primary goal, that of removing the UK from the EU, the centerpiece of its public image.

Overview

The UK Independence Party labored to publicize itself in its early years. Sked, who became leader of his party in 1993, spent the mid-1990s establishing the group's domestic and foreign policies. One policy from this era was the UK Independence Party's refusal to acknowledge the authority of any institutions of the EU. The party's original doctrine stated that no UKIP candidates who were elected to the European Parliament would take salaries for their work; their payments would be directed to the United Kingdom's National Health Service instead. UKIP politicians would work for compensation only in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

In the mid to late 1990s, the better-financed Referendum Party, which also held a Eurosceptic (opposition against the European Union) stance, was earning far more national attention than Sked's modestly sized group. However, neither the UK Independence Party nor the Referendum Party performed well in the UK's 1997 parliamentary elections, leading UKIP member Nigel Farage to question Sked's leadership abilities. Amid this pressure, Sked resigned as leader later in 1997, leaving Farage to begin his own rise within the party.

The UK Independence Party saw its first three candidates, Farage among them, elected to the European Parliament in 1999. In the next European Parliament election in 2004, the party earned nine more seats, bringing its total to twelve. At the same time, the party struggled to elect candidates to the British Parliament, which was conventionally dominated by politicians from the more popular Conservative and Labour Parties.

Farage became leader of the UK Independence Party in 2006. This angered Sked, who had disapproved of Farage personally and politically since Farage began taking over the party in the late 1990s. Sked later claimed on multiple occasions that Farage had hijacked the party he created and refashioned it as an ultraconservative, xenophobic, and racist organization. Xenophobia is a fear or dislike of people from countries other than one's own. Sked asserted that Farage's UK Independence Party regularly slandered Muslims, gay people, and people of African and Asian descent. Farage denied Sked's claims about the party; nevertheless, Sked continued to lament the direction he felt his party had taken.

In 2009, Farage stepped down as leader of the UK Independence Party to focus on a bid for the British Parliament in the 2010 election, as he believed the party required more representation in national politics. Farage lost this election, but, following the resignation of the UKIP leader later that year, he was elected to head the party once again.

Into the 2010s, the UK Independence Party continued to perform well in local elections across the UK. Many voters supported its plan to implement a more controlled immigration policy in the country. Farage said that doing this would not be possible while the UK remained in the EU.

In late June 2016, the UK held a referendum on the issue of remaining a member of the EU. This referendum was widely known as Brexit. Prime Minister David Cameron had vowed to hold such a vote if his Conservative Party won a parliamentary majority in the 2015 general election.

The British people ultimately voted to leave the EU. In early July 2016, Farage announced his resignation as leader of the UK Independence Party, saying he had finally achieved his longtime political goal. Diane James replaced him that September.

Sked, meanwhile, approved of the Brexit vote but remained critical of both the UK Independence Party and Farage. Sked argued in 2016 that the party, having accomplished what it had set out to do, should dissolve itself, as it no longer had a reason for existing. In early October 2016, James stepped down as leader of the UK Independence Party after claiming she did not possess enough authority among party members. Farage agreed to serve as interim leader until the party could hold a new leadership election.

The party became rather tumultuous, with frequent changes in leadership. Farage served as interim leader until November 2016, when Paul Nuttal was elected. He promised to force the UK to give the people a real Brexit. However, he resigned in 2017 after the UKIP performed disastrously in the elections. The next leader of the party, Henry Bolton, was a virtually unknown name who had only joined the party in 2014. The former army officer served less than five months before being voted out for racist remarks made by his partner about Meghan Markle. Bolton left with plans to set up a new party with a similar platform. 

Holding its fourth election in eighteen months, the party chose founding member Gerard Batten as interim leader. Batten’s anti-Islam policies promoted senior leadership to leave the party. After electing a far-right advisor in 2018, Batten faced a vote of no confidence, narrowly surviving the move. Batten chose to step down after a year to allow a full group of candidates to run for leadership. 

Richard Braine became leader in August 2019 and stepped down just three months later, making him the party’s eighth leader since the 2016 Brexit referendum. Braine, prior to stepping down, was embattled in a power struggle after being suspended from the party and accused of data theft. Patricia Mountain served as interim leader until Freddy Vaccha was voted leader in 2020. Vaccha promoted anti-LGBTQIA+ views and was ousted after only three months after being accused of harassment. 

Neil Hamilton was chosen to serve as the interim leader and later was voted in as leader of the party. Hamilton served for four years before announcing his retirement in 2024. While the UKIP enjoyed some stability during Hamilton’s years, that was quickly replaced by the chaos it had previously endured when elected leader Lois Perry resigned after only thirty-four days. During the many years of changing leadership the UKIP saw its role in Parliament and its support dwindle. The continued changes in leadership and the failure to carve out a clear vision since the Brexit referendum have left people wondering if the party can survive.

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