Sunday, April 15, 2018
New UKIP leader announces his resignation in advance
Like many people I suspect, I have lost count of the number of leaders that UKIP have had in the last few years. They sure get through them quickly. However, the latest in a long line of UKIP leaders has introduced a fresh approach - rather than waiting to be ousted he has started his tenure by announcing his resignation date.
As the Mirror reports, Gerard Batten has said he will spend the next year trying to restore the party's fortunes after a tumultuous period that has seen it implode with bitter infighting and stretched by financial struggles, and then he will quit. This is a whole new definition of crisis management:
He said: "As I said at the start of the contest, if the election were to be uncontested, I would hold office for 12 months.
"Therefore, I intend to resign on 13th April 2019 so that a full leadership contest may take place. By then I will have decided if I wish to contest that election or not.
"For the next 12 months, I will concentrate on doing all I can to restore the party's fortunes. A very good start has been made and the party is now on a sound financial footing."
Batten became interim leader after Bolton was kicked out of the job over his relationship with controversial model Jo Marney, who sent offensive messages about Meghan Markle.
After taking the helm, Batten had to appeal to UKIP members for funds after the party faced possible insolvency when it was landed with a £175,000 legal bill from a libel case lost by its MEP Jane Collins.
There is no better indication of a party struggling for relevance than one which elects a leader who does not appear to want the job and who is keen to get out from the role as soon as possible.
As the Mirror reports, Gerard Batten has said he will spend the next year trying to restore the party's fortunes after a tumultuous period that has seen it implode with bitter infighting and stretched by financial struggles, and then he will quit. This is a whole new definition of crisis management:
He said: "As I said at the start of the contest, if the election were to be uncontested, I would hold office for 12 months.
"Therefore, I intend to resign on 13th April 2019 so that a full leadership contest may take place. By then I will have decided if I wish to contest that election or not.
"For the next 12 months, I will concentrate on doing all I can to restore the party's fortunes. A very good start has been made and the party is now on a sound financial footing."
Batten became interim leader after Bolton was kicked out of the job over his relationship with controversial model Jo Marney, who sent offensive messages about Meghan Markle.
After taking the helm, Batten had to appeal to UKIP members for funds after the party faced possible insolvency when it was landed with a £175,000 legal bill from a libel case lost by its MEP Jane Collins.
There is no better indication of a party struggling for relevance than one which elects a leader who does not appear to want the job and who is keen to get out from the role as soon as possible.
