British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives “cannot be trusted on Brexit”, Diane James, the newly elected leader of the eurosceptic UK Independence Party, said on Friday.
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He said: I wish them the very best of luck and my job is not to meddle.
“I don’t have the same national profile as Diane, she is in the media and on the television an bad lot and a big part of any election is the recognition factor”.
She heralded the party’s success in delivering Brexit and trumpeted the “disruption we’ve caused”. She won 8,451 votes out of 17,917, while Lisa Duffy came second with 4,591.
She succeeds Nigel Farage, who quit as party leader just after the European Union referendum in June and backed her for leadership.
Hitting out at the “rigged” Westminster system that saw the SNP win 50 seats to Ukip’s one at last year’s general election despite attracting three times fewer votes than the anti-EU party, Mr Carswell promised to “provide an alternative voice” in the Commons.
Millionaire businessman Arron Banks, UKIP’s main financial backer, who like Farage had backed Woolfe, has reportedly said he wants to create a new right-wing movement or party appealing to Brexit voters.
Sketching out her style of leadership, Ms James said her language “might be a little different” and that “unlike Nigel I may not be able to be as frank as I want to be”.
“So if ever a man was about to leave British politics – that’s it”.
Five candidates ran for the party leadership, with James the bookmakers’ overwhelming favourite.
Meanwhile, the party’s only MP will take to the conference stage as the bitter divisions in the party showed no sign of healing under new leader Diane James.
To applause at the UKIP conference, she said: “Yes to a 100% European Union exit”.
He said he was “four-square” behind UKIP but cautioned the party must be “healthy and strong” to hold the Government to account over Brexit.
In valedictory speech to Ukip conference Mr Farage said he would continue to attend to the European Parliament as Ukip’s group leader.
“Until we get a signature, we’re still in, they still tell us what to do”, she added, referring to the EU.
The governing center-right Conservative Party, under its new leader May, “now appears committed to delivering Brexit while also offering policies that have always been advocated by UKIP”, such as introducing more selective schools, said Goodwin.
“If it’s the only way Nathan Gill can get a good speaking slot I suppose, good for him”.
She has made frequent media and TV appearances, but has remained firmly in Mr Farage’s shadow.
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The 56-year-old then joined UKIP shortly after the 2011 election – and has worked her way up through the party, holding a number of high profile positions including deputy chairman and spokeswoman for justice and home affairs.
