But she will inherit a party riven with factional disputes and struggling to define a clear identity after achieving its No. 1 goal of triggering Britain’s exit from the EU.
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Speaking at the party’s annual conference in Bournemouth, Farage made no suggestion he was going to seek a lower profile, despite stepping down as Ukip boss.
‘I frankly don’t think I could do any more.
The leader of Ukip’s Welsh Assembly group, who Mr Farage has been fiercely critical of, was replaced by a 10-minute coffee break and a five-minute speech by Nathan Gill, the man he ousted. It’s the fourth new leader they’ve had in the last few years – and the last three new leaders were all the same bloke.
As one of four UK Independence Party members of the European Parliament for south east England, she took over the reigns from departing leader Nigel Farage.
Mr Farage was given a hero’s welcome as he spoke at his final Ukip conference as leader.
The Clacton MP “really isn’t doing anything for us” and must now decide if he supports the party’s aims, Mr Farage said.
Bill Etheridge came third on 2,052 votes, Phillip Broughton received 1,545 votes and Elizabeth Jones 1,203 votes.
When she announced her candidacy following Mr Farage’s election, she was catapulted to front runner after the deputy leader Paul Nuttall refused to join the race and second favourite Steven Woolfe was disqualified.
“So it’s nice that they’ve got a new leader who is actually new”.
“UKIP’s future is unclear”, said Matthew Goodwin, an expert on the party at the University of Nottingham.
She also urged Prime Minister Theresa May to “get on with it” and trigger Article 50, the formal process for leaving the EU.
The announcement comes shortly after former leader Nigel Farage said Ukip must remain a strong force in United Kingdom politics because Prime Minister Theresa May is not taking a hard enough stance on Brexit.
After her win, James said she wanted Ukip to be a proper political force and “battle ready” for an election.
Paying tribute to Mr Farage, she said he had “given up decades, sacrificed a huge amount” and will be “a stalwart proponent and supporter of Brexit in making sure it is delivered”.
“The threats to the referendum are increasing by the day”, she said.
Her language skills helped her land a job with a German pharmaceutical company, before she moved into the healthcare sector in the 1980s, studying the U.S. system.
Facing down criticism that with the European Union referendum outcome UKIP was a spent force, Mr Farage said the party still had much to do and stood to benefit from a “deluge” of votes from dispirited Labour supporters.
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“Change is going to have to happen”, she said, stating her ambition for UKIP to overtake the Labour Party to become Britain’s official opposition.
