Britain | The UK Independence Party’s leader

Exit stage right

Britain’s most dysfunctional party descends further into chaos

Diane James, committed Leaver

DIANE JAMES’S time as leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) was short and shambolic. She was elected on September 16th with a plan to turn the party into the “opposition in waiting”. Yet in her 18 days in charge she unveiled no new policies and avoided giving interviews—though she did confirm to a journalist that Vladimir Putin was one of her political heroes. On October 4th she quit, complaining that she lacked the support of her colleagues. Nigel Farage will once again head the party before handing over to a new leader.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Exit stage right”

The road to Brexit

From the October 8th 2016 edition

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