Diane James

Diane James
James in 2014
Leader of the UK Independence Party
Designate
16 September 2016 – 4 October 2016
Preceded byNigel Farage
Succeeded byPaul Nuttall
Deputy Chair of the UK Independence Party
In office
24 February 2016 – 16 September 2016
LeaderNigel Farage
Preceded bySuzanne Evans
Succeeded bySuzanne Evans
UKIP Home Affairs and Justice Spokesperson
In office
21 July 2014 – 16 September 2016
LeaderNigel Farage
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byJane Collins
Member of the European Parliament
for South East England
In office
1 July 2014 – 1 July 2019[1][2]
Preceded bySharon Bowles
Succeeded byAlexandra Phillips
Personal details
Born (1959-11-20) 20 November 1959 (age 64)
Bedford, England
Political partyReform UK (formerly Brexit Party; since 2019)
Other political
affiliations
Independent (2007–2011; 2016–2019)
UK Independence Party (2011–2016)
Conservative (before 2007)
Alma materUniversity of West London
Websitedianejamesmep.com

Diane Martine James (born 20 November 1959) is a British politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 2014 to 2019. She was briefly leader-elect of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from September 2016 to October 2016, but resigned before formalising her leadership. At the time of her election to the European Parliament, James was one of three UKIP MEPs for South East England, before joining the Brexit Party in 2019.[3][4]

James was born in Bedford in 1959, and was a councillor on Waverley Borough Council from 2007 until 2015, when she lost the seat to the Conservative Party.[5] She was elected to the European Parliament in 2014. Following the resignation of Nigel Farage, she was elected leader of UKIP in September 2016 as his successor. She resigned from the leadership of the party on 4 October 2016, 18 days after being elected. On 21 November 2016, James announced that she was leaving UKIP and would henceforth sit as an Independent.[6] The length of her tenure was met with significant public and press ridicule.[7]

  1. ^ "Key dates ahead". European Parliament. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Key dates ahead". BBC News. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Diane James becomes UKIP leader". BBC News. 16 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
  4. ^ "South East – Vote 2014". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Ewhurst – Borough election results 2015". Waverley Borough Council. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. ^ Mason, Rowena (21 November 2016). "Diane James quits Ukip, saying relations soured after she quit as leader". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Diane James has left Ukip – her replacement will be Labour's downfall". Independent.co.uk. 5 October 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.