Thurrock Independents

Thurrock Independents
AbbreviationTIP
LeaderGary Byrne[1]
ChairmanOliver Smith[2]
Founded26 January 2018[3]
(official launch)
Dissolved26 July 2023
Split fromUK Independence Party
Headquarters171 Blackshots Lane
Grays, Thurrock
RM16 2LJ
NewspaperThurrock Independent[4]
Ideology
Political positionCatch-all[5]
Colors  Yellow
SloganPeople First[6]
Thurrock Council
1 / 49
[7]
Website
www.thurrockindy.org

The Thurrock Independents, also known as the Thurrock Independents Party (TIP),[8][9] was a localist[10] and populist[6] British political party based in Thurrock, Essex, England. It was formed in January 2018 when seventeen Thurrock councillors, including then-East of England MEP Tim Aker, broke-away from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) after claiming to have grown disillusioned with party politics.[11][12] At its height in 2018, the party was Thurrock Council's official opposition group and had two members in the European Parliament. It declined after multiple defections and election defeats and was left with only one councillor after the 2023 elections.[13] The party disbanded later that year.[14]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Independent candidate speaks out prior to general election". Thurrock Nub News. 5 December 2019.
  3. ^ Duffin, Jack (26 January 2018). "Thurrock Independents Launches". Thurrock Independents. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  4. ^ Thurrock Independents [@ThurrockIndy] (4 August 2018). "Council blacklist the Thurrock Independent newspaper. Someone needs to remind them that this is Thurrock not North Korea" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 May 2022 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ a b "About". Thurrock Independents. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Reflections on the Thurrock Elections 2018". Your Thurrock. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Thurrock Independents". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  8. ^ Pickles, Jonathan (29 January 2018). "Council rule out by-election following formation of Thurrock Independents party". Thurrock Gazette. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Mr. Perrin's blog; A Word in Your Ear.....The duplicity of defecting councillors". Your Thurrock. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Thurrock Independents make final push before local elections". Your Thurrock. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Thurrock's 17 UKIP councillors all resign from party". BBC News. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  12. ^ Busby, Eleanor (8 January 2019). "Parents are withdrawing children from RE lessons over objections to Islam". The Independent. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  13. ^ Lawrence, David (2022). "Hyperlocal Politics: New Channels"
  14. ^ "Thurrock Independents". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 19 January 2024.