Diane James
| Diane James MEP | |
|---|---|
| Member of the European Parliament for South East England | |
|
Assumed office 1 July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Sharon Bowles |
| Deputy Chair of UKIP | |
|
Assumed office 24th February 2016 Serving with William Dartmouth | |
| Preceded by |
Neil Hamilton Suzanne Evans |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
20 November 1959 Bedford, England |
| Political party | UK Independence Party |
| Alma mater | Thames Valley University |
| Website | europarl..DIANE_JAMES |
Diane Martine James (born 20 November 1959) is one of four UK Independence Party (UKIP) Members of the European Parliament for South East England.[1] She was a councillor on Waverley Borough Council until May 2015 when she lost her seat to the Conservatives.[2]
Biography
James was educated at Rochester Grammar School and Thames Valley University.[3] She previously worked in the healthcare sector for more than 30 years, setting up her own international consultancy business.
Political career
James was elected to Waverley Borough Council as an Independent representing Ewhurst ward after falling out with local Conservatives in 2007. She announced she was joining UKIP shortly after the 2011 election but refused to stand down and fight a bye-election. She lost her seat in 2015 after standing as the UKIP candidate in the election. Her fellow UKIP councillors all lost their seats at the 2015 election.
James came second in the Eastleigh by-election, 2013 receiving 27.8% of the vote, an increase of 24.2% on the 2010 figure.[4] She was elected to the European Parliament in 2014. Currently the party's Home Affairs spokesperson, she has represented UKIP on the BBC's Question Time, and has taken part in debates at the Cambridge Union Society.
James was selected by North West Hampshire UKIP to be its candidate in December 2014.[5] after being predicted a 1.2% chance of winning.[6] However, a few hours after making a speech at the UKIP Spring Conference in Margate, Kent, she stepped down from the Westminster candidacy "for personal reasons".[7]
James was ridiculed in April 2015 for saying that she "admired Putin" in an interview with Iain Dale.[8]
References
- ↑ "South East – Vote 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ↑ "Ewhurst – Borough election results 2015". Waverley Borough Council. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ "Diane James – UKIP". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ "Cameron not for turning despite Eastleigh byelection failure, says Gove". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/archive/2014/12/14/11665604.UKIP_reveal_Diane_James_to_fight_for_Hampshire_seat/
- ↑ http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/conlist_f_k.html#HampshireNorthWest
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31676897
- ↑ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ukips-diane-james-i-admire-5488471
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