UKIP’s Gerard Batten reveals resignation date after EU elections
UKIPs Gerard Batten reveals resignation date and its days after EU elections
UKIP’s leader has finally revealed the date he will resign. Gerard Batten will stand down on June 2 and trigger a leadership contest to replace him, a UKIP spokesman said.
It means Mr Gerard Batten – who provoked a party storm by backing far-right extremist Tommy Robinson – will be stepping down just 10 days after the EU elections on May 23.
A leadership election is expected around a month after he steps down. Mr Batten has not yet decided if he will stand, a spokesman said.
Currently Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, cannot stand because despite being an advisor to Mr Batten he is still banned from UKIP membership.
It means Mr Batten has formally broken his vow to stand down after one year.
The right-winger stood in as interim leader when Henry Bolton was ousted in February 2018 and was later elected unopposed in April 2018.
When he was elected, he said: “I intend to resign on 13th April 2019 so that a full leadership contest may take place.”
But the date came and went amid Brexit chaos to allow him to lead the party through local elections.
A UKIP spokesman confirmed June 2 was now the correct date.
The spokesman said: “Mr Gerard Batten is fulfilling a promise to step down and call a leadership election approximately one year after becoming full Party Leader.”
Source: DailyMirror
