Suzanne Evans

Suzanne Evans
Deputy Chairman of the UK Independence Party
In office
4 August 2014 – 24 February 2016
Serving with Neil Hamilton
Preceded by Unknown
Succeeded by Diane James
Personal details
Born February 1965
Nationality English (United Kingdom)
Political party Conservative (2010 – May 2013)
Independent (May 2013)
UKIP (May 2013–Currently suspended)
Alma mater Lancaster University

Suzanne Elizabeth Evans (born February 1965)[1] is an English journalist and politician, best known for being a past spokesperson for UK Independence Party, a political party from which she was suspended on 23 March 2016.[2]

Evans trained as a journalist with the BBC and was formerly a Conservative councillor within the London Borough of Merton Council from 6 May 2010[3] to 15 May 2013,[4] and then a councillor with UKIP from 29 May 2013[5] to 22 May 2014.[6]

Together with Neil Hamilton,[7] she was, between 4 August 2014 and 24 February 2016,[8] Deputy Chairman of the UKIP. Evans was the UKIP candidate in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency in the 2015 UK General Election.

Early life

Suzanne Elizabeth Evans[9] was born in February 1965.[1] Her father ran a watchmaking firm in Roushill and her mother was a teacher.[10]

Evans was educated at The Corbet School (formerly known as Baschurch Secondary Modern School), a state comprehensive school in the village of Baschurch in Shropshire, and Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, followed by Lancaster University (1985–1987) from where she graduated with a BA in Religious Studies.[11]

Career

Evans worked for BBC Radio in various roles from 1987 to 1999, including as a reporter and presenter for BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme, as a reporter for Woman's Hour and Today, and on BBC Radio 5 and the BBC World Service. She also worked in several roles for BBC Local Radio.[11]

Since January 2000, Evans has worked as a freelance public relations and marketing consultant trading as Suzanne Evans Communications.[12] She was also communications director at Aquarius PR from March 2006 to May 2013.[11]

Politics

Evans became a Conservative Party councillor for the London Borough of Merton in May 2010 but resigned from the party in May 2013 citing a "poisonous war" within the party.[12][13] She switched to the UK Independence Party but lost her seat in May 2014.

Evans was deputy chairman and head of policy for UKIP between July 2014 and February 2016.[14] She was primarily responsible for writing the UKIP 2015 manifesto after she took over the job from Tim Aker.[15][16] Her success in completing the manifesto after the debacle of the party's 2010 manifesto,[17] and her confident presentation of the resulting document, forced her to deny claims that she wanted to be leader of the party if Nigel Farage resigned after the 2015 general election.[15][18][19]

In 2014, Evans blamed poor UKIP support in London on the city's high number of "educated, cultured and young" in comments that were seen as ill-judged. She explained that she thought that in London, voters were "more likely, I think, to have read some of the negative press that's been about us, and I think they'd be more likely to believe it" whereas outside London people were more cynical about media reporting.[20]

In April 2015, Evans blamed the British housing shortage on increased demand caused by immigrants, a theory also repeated by Nigel Farage in election debates, but she was forced to admit that she herself owned two properties and a share in a third occupied by her daughter.[21][22]

Evans was the UKIP candidate for the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency in the 2015 British General Election,[23] finishing third with 14.4% of the total vote.[24]

Post 2015 UK General Election

On 8 May 2015 Nigel Farage recommended her as the Interim Leader of UKIP following his resignation, but three days later the NEC of the party rejected Farage's resignation and he remained leader.[25]

On 18 June 2015, following comments made by Evans on the BBC's Daily Politics, Evans commented that the public had a "divisive" view of Nigel Farage which may hamper the UK's In/Out EU referendum should he have a role. The UKIP press office then withdrew Evans as a media commentator for UKIP, pending an internal inquiry[26] — an internal UKIP email leaked to the BBC indicated Evans was no longer regarded as a spokeswoman for UKIP. However, UKIP subsequently stated the email had been issued "without proper authority" and that Evans had not been dropped as a spokeswoman.[27]

On 23 March 2016, while still on the UKIP party list for the 2016 London Assembly election, Evans was once again suspended from UKIP for six months by the party's internal disciplinary committee.[28] At this time, she began to pursue legal action in the High Court against the decision on the grounds that rules were allegedly being abused.[28]

Charity work

Evans founded the Lipoedema UK charity in 2011 after discovering that she suffers from the condition.[29]

References

  1. 1 2 https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/iI3Q_peP1suPvswJWnQlyhX4QDg/appointments
  2. ↑ "Suzanne Evans suspended by UKIP". BBC News. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Merton Electorate and Turnout (London Borough Council Election – 6 May 2010) (PDF), London Borough of Merton (published 2014), 6 May 2010, retrieved 30 June 2015
  4. ↑ Lauren May (17 May 2013), "Defection to UKIP 'strong possibility' for former Merton Conservatives deputy leader Councillor Suzanne Evans", Wimbledon Guardian
  5. ↑ Mark McAleer, Chairman, UKIP Merton, UK Independence Party (29 May 2013), "Letter to the Editor: UKIP welcomes Merton councillors Richard Hilton and Suzanne Evans", Wimbledon Guardian, archived from the original on 26 April 2015, retrieved 30 June 2015
  6. ↑ London Borough of Merton (May 2014), Local Elections – Thursday 22 May 2014
  7. ↑ Neil Hamilton: UKIP election strategy and no Tory pact, BBC News, 1 October 2013, retrieved 30 June 2015
  8. ↑ UK Independence Party (4 August 2014), UKIP appoints Suzanne Evans as Deputy Leader, archived from the original on 6 August 2014, retrieved 30 June 2015
  9. ↑ Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency candidates. Shrewsbury Council. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  10. ↑ About Suzanne. Suzanne Evans, UKIP, 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Suzanne Evans. LinkedIn. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Who is Ukip's Suzanne Evans?". The Telegraph. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Defection to UKIP 'strong possibility' for former Merton Conservatives deputy leader Councillor Suzanne Evans". Lauren May, Wimbledon Guardian, 17 May 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ukip deputy chair Suzanne Evans: Mansion Tax is "equally unconscionable" to the Bedroom Tax". Newstatesman.com. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  15. 1 2 Ben Quinn (15 April 2015). "Ukip's Suzanne Evans enjoys profile boost after manifesto launch | Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  16. ↑ UKIP replaces policy chief before election. Andrew Osborn, Reuters, 21 January 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Jon Stone (2014-03-19). "People are touting Ukip's Suzanne Evans as the party's next leader – but who is she? – UK Politics – UK". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  18. ↑ General Election 2015: Suzanne Evans dismisses suggestions of Ukip leadership bid as 'rubbish'. Jamie Merrill, The Independent, 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "Rising star reveals Ukip as more than a one-man show" Lucy Fisher, The Times, 16 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015. (subscription required)
  20. ↑ Losing Ukip councillor blames poor London polls on 'cultured elite'. Rowena Mason, The Guardian, 23 May 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  21. ↑ Ukip chief blames immigrants for chronic shortage of homes... but then admits she owns 'two and a third houses' John Stevens, Daily Mail, 14 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Shrewsbury Ukip candidate Suzanne Evans defends ‘two and a third’ homes « Shropshire Star". Shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  23. ↑ "Ukip announces its Shrewsbury election candidate" Shropshire Star, 29 May 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "Shrewsbury & Atcham Parliamentary constituency". BBC News Online. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  25. ↑ "UKIP Rejects Nigel Farage's Resignation". Sky News. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  26. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33190940
  27. ↑ "UKIP insists Evans not frozen out amid e-mail dispute". BBC Politics (BBC). 19 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  28. 1 2 Mason, Rowena (23 March 2016). "Ukip's Suzanne Evans suspended for disloyalty". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  29. ↑ "Patrons & Lipoedema UK Board | Lipoedema UK". Lipoedema.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-18.

External links

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