United Kingdom First Party
| United Kingdom First Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Robin Page[1] |
| Founded | 2009[1] |
| Dissolved | 2010 |
| Ideology |
Populism,[2] Euroscepticism, Conservatism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| National affiliation | Alliance for Democracy |
| Colours | Red, white and blue |
| Website | |
| www.ukfp.org | |
|
Politics of the United Kingdom Political parties Elections | |
The United Kingdom First Party was a small short-lived populist, Eurosceptic[2] British political party. It was created in 2009 and included a number of former members of UK Independence Party seeking independence from The EU but with transparency, probity and an ethical base. It fielded candidates in three English regions for the 2009 European parliamentary elections: the East Midlands, the East of England and the South East.[3]
The party agreed to work with the Popular Alliance during the election, in order to achieve the two parties' goals, with the two parties saying they have "similar backgrounds" and "similar goals".[2]
After its failure in the European parliamentary elections, it wound up in 2010.
Policies
The party places its opposition to British membership of the European Union in the context of a desire to reduce “the cost, the scope and the number layers of government.”[4] It has set out a brief summary of its policies, with an undertaking to develop them further after the European elections, influenced by the outcome, towards simpler taxation, smaller Government and less centralisation.
The party also claims to believe in freedom for Britain to negotiate its own trade deals individually or as part of a trade bloc, free speech, and the ability to "hold politicians to account through referenda.[5][6]
European Parliament election, 2009
Candidates for the European Parliament in 2009 included journalist and former presenter of One Man and His Dog, Robin Page, and former UK Independence Party chairman Petrina Holdsworth.
The candidates pledged to serve only one term, not to employ family members, to publish their accounts and refuse invitations to “sit on committees of the European Parliament nor attend the plenaries in Brussels and Strasbourg except in the case of a vote which the party leadership regards as of critical importance to British interests.”[7]
At the 2009 European election, UK First received 74,000 votes just 0.5% of the national vote and none of its candidates were elected.
MEP candidate list, 2009
| Eastern Region | South East Region | East Midlands Region |
|---|---|---|
| Robin Page | Petrina Holdsworth | Ian Gillman |
| Bruce Lawson | Martin Haslam | David Noakes |
| John West | John Petley | Christopher Elliot |
| Peter Cole | Mariann French | |
| Len Baynes | Nadine Platt |
See also
External links
References
- 1 2 "Register of Political Parties". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- 1 2 3 "Two parties from very similar backgrounds" (PDF). Popular Alliance/United Kingdom First Party. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ↑ "Our candidates". United Kingdom First Party. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ↑ "Policies". United Kingdom First Party. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ↑ "What we stand for". United Kingdom First Party. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ↑ "Our policies in brief". United Kingdom First Party. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ↑ "MEP Statement". United Kingdom First Party. Retrieved 2 June 2009.