British Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s Conservatives secured a landmark victory in a parliamentary by-election on Friday, boosting her hand ahead of upcoming Brexit negotiations as her rivals suffered damaging poll setbacks.

The Conservatives captured the north western region of Copeland that Labour have held since 1935, the first by-election gain for a governing party for 35 years and a result which piles pressure on the opposition&#39;s under-fire socialist leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Meanwhile in the central English seat of Stoke-on-Trent, Paul Nuttall, leader of the populist anti-EU UK Independence Party, failed to overturn a Labour majority despite almost 70 per cent of the city&#39;s voters backing leaving the bloc at last year&#39;s referendum, casting doubt on his future too.

The two results point to May&#39;s tightening grip on political power following the Brexit vote, and will be used as evidence that her strategy of pursuing a clean break with the EU has stemmed rising right-wing populism without denting her ability to take votes from an increasingly left-wing Labour Party.

Although Labour avoided the worst-case scenario of two defeats, Corbyn is likely to face renewed criticism.

Many lawmakers worry his leadership is damaging their fight for a &quot;softer&quot; Brexit, with closer ties to the EU&#39;s single market, while his leftist agenda is making the party unelectable before a 2020 national election.

&quot;The simple truth of the matter is seven years into opposition the Labour Party is going backwards, not going forwards,&quot; academic and polling expert Michael Thrasher told Sky News. &quot;Their vote share is falling in by-elections where they should be causing the Conservatives problems, and they&#39;re not.&quot;

Despite long-running unrest within the upper ranks of his party, Corbyn is unlikely to face a fresh leadership challenge because he retains strong support among the grassroots Labour members who re-elected him last year after a botched coup.

&quot;To win power to rebuild and transform Britain, Labour will go further to reconnect with voters, and break with the failed political consensus,&quot; Corbyn said in a statement after the result.

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UKIP Stutter

In Stoke, UKIP were unable to capitalise on the anti-establishment sentiment it tapped so successfully when persuading voters to leave the EU last year, despite pouring resources into a campaign waged on fertile Brexit territory.

The party&#39;s former leader and best-known figure Nigel Farage had warned last week the Stoke vote was vital for the future of the party, beset by in-fighting since the Brexit vote.

&quot;UKIP&#39;s time will come ... there&#39;s a lot more to come from us, we&#39;re not going anywhere, I&#39;m not going anywhere,&quot; Nuttall told reporters after the result.

A campaign dogged by personal gaffes risks reigniting feuding within the party, which has struggled to break into mainstream politics despite playing a pivotal role in forcing the government to call an EU referendum and the subsequent campaign to leave the bloc.

&quot;If you want to be an electoral force and a political force in this country you have to be able to win by-elections in difficult circumstances as a third party,&quot; Rob Ford, a politics professor from Manchester University and an expert on UKIP, told Reuters

&quot;If they can&#39;t do that even in the most propitious of seats people will start to have questions.&quot;

(Reuters)

The Conservatives captured a region that Labour have held since 1935, the first by-election gain for a governing party for 35 years

British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives secured a landmark victory in a parliamentary by-election on Friday, boosting her hand ahead of upcoming Brexit negotiations as her rivals suffered damaging poll setbacks. The Conservatives captured the north western region of Copeland that Labour have held since 1935, the first by-election gain for a governing party for 35 years and a result which piles pressure on the opposition's under-fire socialist leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Meanwhile in the central English seat of Stoke-on-Trent, Paul Nuttall, leader of the populist anti-EU UK Independence Party, failed to overturn a Labour majority despite almost 70 per cent of the city's voters backing leaving the bloc at last year's referendum, casting doubt on his future too. The two results point to May's tightening grip on political power following the Brexit vote, and will be used as evidence that her strategy of pursuing a clean break with the EU has stemmed rising right-wing populism without denting her ability to take votes from an increasingly left-wing Labour Party. Although Labour avoided the worst-case scenario of two defeats, Corbyn is likely to face renewed criticism. Many lawmakers worry his leadership is damaging their fight for a "softer" Brexit, with closer ties to the EU's single market, while his leftist agenda is making the party unelectable before a 2020 national election. "The simple truth of the matter is seven years into opposition the Labour Party is going backwards, not going forwards," academic and polling expert Michael Thrasher told Sky News. "Their vote share is falling in by-elections where they should be causing the Conservatives problems, and they're not." Despite long-running unrest within the upper ranks of his party, Corbyn is unlikely to face a fresh leadership challenge because he retains strong support among the grassroots Labour members who re-elected him last year after a botched coup. "To win power to rebuild and transform Britain, Labour will go further to reconnect with voters, and break with the failed political consensus," Corbyn said in a statement after the result. UKIP Stutter In Stoke, UKIP were unable to capitalise on the anti-establishment sentiment it tapped so successfully when persuading voters to leave the EU last year, despite pouring resources into a campaign waged on fertile Brexit territory. The party's former leader and best-known figure Nigel Farage had warned last week the Stoke vote was vital for the future of the party, beset by in-fighting since the Brexit vote. "UKIP's time will come ... there's a lot more to come from us, we're not going anywhere, I'm not going anywhere," Nuttall told reporters after the result. A campaign dogged by personal gaffes risks reigniting feuding within the party, which has struggled to break into mainstream politics despite playing a pivotal role in forcing the government to call an EU referendum and the subsequent campaign to leave the bloc. "If you want to be an electoral force and a political force in this country you have to be able to win by-elections in difficult circumstances as a third party," Rob Ford, a politics professor from Manchester University and an expert on UKIP, told Reuters "If they can't do that even in the most propitious of seats people will start to have questions." (Reuters)

UK May's Conservatives gain parliamentary seat as rivals suffer election setbacks

Britain&#39;s anti-EU&nbsp;UK Independence party (UKIP) elected a new leader Paul Nuttal to replace Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage.

A former history lecturer, Nuttal defeated former deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans and former soldier John Rees-Evans.

Nuttal pledged unity in the party and said he would make it the &quot;the voice of patriotic Britain&quot;.

&quot;The country needs a strong UKIP more now than ever before,&quot; he said, urging the party to keep pressuring the government for &quot;real Brexit&quot;.

Nuttall&nbsp;joined the UKIP in 2004 and was the party&#39;s deputy leader from 2010. He has been a Member of European Parliament (MEP) since 2009.

The 39-year-old from Liverpool played football&nbsp;for Tranmere Rovers in his youth.&nbsp;

He went on to be a lecturer at Liverpool Hope University.

The UKIP, a driving force behind the Brexit campaign, has been struggling with infighting for the last few months. Tensions within the party came out in the open after newly-elected party leader Diane James stepped down in October days after winning the leadership.

Farage had acted as interim leader in the intervening period.

Will not be backseat driver: Farage

In his farewell speech, Farage promised he would not be a &quot;backseat driver&quot; in the party but would complete his term as a European Parliament lawmaker till 2019.

Farage also claimed that the European project was now &quot;fatally weakened&quot; and said the UKIP was the leading eurosceptic group across the continent.

&quot;Be in no doubt that it is UKIP that is seen as the leading eurosceptic group across the entire continent,&quot; he said at a conference in London after the result of the party election was announced.

Since announcing his resignation following the EU referendum in June, Farage has ridden the wave of his campaign&#39;s success to the United States where he appeared at a Trump rally in Mississippi.

He was the first British politician to meet Trump after he was elected president. Trump even suggested his name for British ambassador to the US, ruffling feathers in 10 Downing Street, with British Prime Minister Theresa May retorting there was &quot;no vacancy.&quot;

UKIP emerged from the fringes of British politics after playing a key role in the push for a referendum on EU membership.

Advocating an anti-mass immigration agenda, the party scored the third-highest number of votes in the 2015 general election, taking 12.7 per cent of the vote.

(WION with inputs from AFP) 
&nbsp;

Paul Nuttal asked the party to keep pressuring the government for 'real Brexit'

Britain's anti-EU UK Independence party (UKIP) elected a new leader Paul Nuttal to replace Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage. A former history lecturer, Nuttal defeated former deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans and former soldier John Rees-Evans. Nuttal pledged unity in the party and said he would make it the "the voice of patriotic Britain". "The country needs a strong UKIP more now than ever before," he said, urging the party to keep pressuring the government for "real Brexit". Nuttall joined the UKIP in 2004 and was the party's deputy leader from 2010. He has been a Member of European Parliament (MEP) since 2009. The 39-year-old from Liverpool played football for Tranmere Rovers in his youth. He went on to be a lecturer at Liverpool Hope University. The UKIP, a driving force behind the Brexit campaign, has been struggling with infighting for the last few months. Tensions within the party came out in the open after newly-elected party leader Diane James stepped down in October days after winning the leadership. Farage had acted as interim leader in the intervening period. Will not be backseat driver: Farage In his farewell speech, Farage promised he would not be a "backseat driver" in the party but would complete his term as a European Parliament lawmaker till 2019. Farage also claimed that the European project was now "fatally weakened" and said the UKIP was the leading eurosceptic group across the continent. "Be in no doubt that it is UKIP that is seen as the leading eurosceptic group across the entire continent," he said at a conference in London after the result of the party election was announced. Since announcing his resignation following the EU referendum in June, Farage has ridden the wave of his campaign's success to the United States where he appeared at a Trump rally in Mississippi. He was the first British politician to meet Trump after he was elected president. Trump even suggested his name for British ambassador to the US, ruffling feathers in 10 Downing Street, with British Prime Minister Theresa May retorting there was "no vacancy." UKIP emerged from the fringes of British politics after playing a key role in the push for a referendum on EU membership. Advocating an anti-mass immigration agenda, the party scored the third-highest number of votes in the 2015 general election, taking 12.7 per cent of the vote. (WION with inputs from AFP)

UK Independence Party elects new leader to replace Nigel Farage

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&nbsp;

UKIP&nbsp;party chief Diane James resigned on Tuesday, only 18 days after ousting former leader Nigel Farage.&nbsp;

James announced her resignation on Twitter, saying, &quot;It has become clear that I do not have sufficient authority, nor the full support of all my MEP (member of european parliament)&nbsp;colleagues and party officers to implement changes I believe necessary and upon which I based my campaign.&quot;

Citing &quot;personal and professional reasons&quot;, she added she would not be taking the election process further. She will&nbsp;however&nbsp;stay on as UKIP member to the European Parliament.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Thank you to all <a href="https://twitter.com/UKIP">@UKIP</a> supporters who attended my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MeetDiane?src=hash">#MeetDiane</a> meetings across the country over the summer. <a href="https://t.co/EQf9rUXgKA">pic.twitter.com/EQf9rUXgKA</a>
&mdash; Diane James (@DianeJamesMEP) <a href="https://twitter.com/DianeJamesMEP/status/783418481333137409">October 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

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UKIP chairman Paul Oakden&nbsp;said, &quot;Whilst the decision is unfortunate, it is one that Diane is entitled to make. We thank her for all her work as leader, and as a hard working MEP, a role she will continue with her customary vigour.&quot;

AFP quoted Oakden as saying a meeting with the National Executive Committee will be called to discuss the process of selecting a new leader, .&nbsp;

Media reports suggested&nbsp;James is stepping down due to concerns over her husband&#39;s ill health. The Times newspaper, however, reported that James was hesitant to head the party without assurances about its funding and was shaken after she was spat at on a train last week.&nbsp;

James succeeded Nigel Farage as UKIP&#39;s leader in September, promising&nbsp;that the Conservative government would not be allowed to negotiate a &quot;soft Brexit&quot;.

Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader&nbsp;who James replaced,&nbsp;has refused to take up the position again.&nbsp;&quot;Not for ten million dollars,&quot; he told the Press Association. &nbsp;

Steven Woolfe, UKIP&#39;s migration and financial affairs spokesman and MEP,&nbsp;is considered a favourite for the position.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

 
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One report said Diane James was shaken after she was spat at on a train last week

UKIP party chief Diane James resigned on Tuesday, only 18 days after ousting former leader Nigel Farage. James announced her resignation on Twitter, saying, "It has become clear that I do not have sufficient authority, nor the full support of all my MEP (member of european parliament) colleagues and party officers to implement changes I believe necessary and upon which I based my campaign." Citing "personal and professional reasons", she added she would not be taking the election process further. She will however stay on as UKIP member to the European Parliament. Thank you to all @UKIP supporters who attended my #MeetDiane meetings across the country over the summer. pic.twitter.com/EQf9rUXgKA — Diane James (@DianeJamesMEP) October 4, 2016 × UKIP chairman Paul Oakden said, "Whilst the decision is unfortunate, it is one that Diane is entitled to make. We thank her for all her work as leader, and as a hard working MEP, a role she will continue with her customary vigour." AFP quoted Oakden as saying a meeting with the National Executive Committee will be called to discuss the process of selecting a new leader, . Media reports suggested James is stepping down due to concerns over her husband's ill health. The Times newspaper, however, reported that James was hesitant to head the party without assurances about its funding and was shaken after she was spat at on a train last week. James succeeded Nigel Farage as UKIP's leader in September, promising that the Conservative government would not be allowed to negotiate a "soft Brexit". Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader who James replaced, has refused to take up the position again. "Not for ten million dollars," he told the Press Association. Steven Woolfe, UKIP's migration and financial affairs spokesman and MEP, is considered a favourite for the position. (WION with inputs from agencies)

UKIP party chief quits 18 days after taking over

Britain&#39;s UK Independence Party on Friday elected deputy chairwoman Diane James as its new leader, replacing Nigel Farage who stepped down in June. 
 
A member of the European parliament, James was announced as the new party head at its annual conference in the coastal town of Bournemouth following a ballot of UKIP&#39;s 40,000 members, Reuters reported. 
 
&quot;We are the political change movement of the United Kingdom,&quot; James said. 
 
The new party chief has pledged to ensure that the government exits from the European Union resulting in tighter immigration controls and more free trade. 
 
A close ally of Farage at the conference announced joining the ruling Conservative Party, saying that Prime Minister Theresa May had delivered on the key elements of the UKIP manifesto. 
 
The UKIP had won nearly four million votes at a general election in 2015 and played a key role in persuading people to vote for Britain&#39;s exit from the EU.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

James, who replaced Nigel Farage, was announced as the new party head following a ballot of UKIP's 40,000 members

Britain's UK Independence Party on Friday elected deputy chairwoman Diane James as its new leader, replacing Nigel Farage who stepped down in June. A member of the European parliament, James was announced as the new party head at its annual conference in the coastal town of Bournemouth following a ballot of UKIP's 40,000 members, Reuters reported. "We are the political change movement of the United Kingdom," James said. The new party chief has pledged to ensure that the government exits from the European Union resulting in tighter immigration controls and more free trade. A close ally of Farage at the conference announced joining the ruling Conservative Party, saying that Prime Minister Theresa May had delivered on the key elements of the UKIP manifesto. The UKIP had won nearly four million votes at a general election in 2015 and played a key role in persuading people to vote for Britain's exit from the EU. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Diane James elected new chief of Britain's anti-EU party

Britain&#39;s anti-EU UK independence party (UKIP) was plunged into disarray Wednesday after the favourite to take over its leadership was barred from the race for submitting his application 17 minutes late. 
 
Immigration spokesman Steven Woolfe was excluded from the contest to replace Nigel Farage, who stood down after achieving his life&#39;s mission of Brexit in the June 23 referendum on Britain&#39;s EU membership. 
 
The decision triggered immediate chaos within UKIP - Britain&#39;s third-biggest party by the popular vote - with three members of their ruling national executive committee (NEC) resigning in protest. 
 
Woolfe, a member of the European Parliament (MEP), said he suffered technical problems submitting his papers ahead of the midday Sunday deadline. 
 
UKIP&#39;s Adam Richardson, who is overseeing the election process, said a panel led by the NEC sat on Tuesday to discuss the eligibility of candidates. 
 
&quot;By a clear majority of NEC members, Steven Woolfe MEP&#39;s application was considered to be ineligible as a result of a late submission and as such he did not meet the eligibility criteria,&quot; he said. 
 
The announcement immediately led to claims of foul play. 
 
Woolfe said he was &quot;extremely disappointed&quot; to have been excluded from the contest and said the NEC was &quot;not fit for purpose&quot;. 
Businessman Arron Banks, the party&#39;s main financial backer, said the decision to exclude Woolfe was the &quot;final straw&quot;, calling it effectively a &quot;coup&quot;. 
 
The three NEC members who quit said in a statement that the body was &quot;collectively in pursuit of oligarchy, self-promotion and cronyism&quot;, with some board members suffering from &quot;escalating megalomania&quot;. 
 
&quot;Steven Woolfe is a popular candidate among UKIP&#39;s members and should be permitted to represent those that wish to vote for him,&quot; they said. 
 
&quot;To purposefully trawl for technicalities upon which to base a decision to deny his inclusion is not in the best interests of the membership and truly injurious to UKIP.&quot; 
 
UKIP instrumental in Brexit 
 
Farage and the rise of UKIP, an anti-EU, anti-mass immigration party, played a key role in the push for a referendum on Britain&#39;s membership of the European Union. 
 
UKIP scored the third-highest number of votes in the 2015 general election, taking 12.7 per cent of the vote, but only won one constituency. 
 
They campaigned all-out for Britain to leave the EU in the June referendum on its membership of the bloc. 
 
Farage, who first became UKIP leader in 2006, stepped down after the vote to quit the EU, saying his &quot;I want my country back&quot; mantra was now &quot;I want my life back&quot;. 
 
The six candidates allowed to stand are MEPs Jonathan Arnott, Bill Etheridge and Diane James, local authority councillor Lisa Duffy, NEC member Elizabeth Jones and Phillip Broughton, who stood as a prospective member of parliament. 
 
Changes made in July ruled out several possible leadership candidates, including the party&#39;s only MP Douglas Carswell and former MP Mark Reckless. 
 
Bookmakers immediately installed home affairs spokeswoman James, who narrowly lost a high-profile parliamentary by-election in 2013, as their new odds-on favourite. 
 
Ballot papers are to be issued to members on September 1, with the new leader declared on September 15 at the party&#39;s annual conference. 
 
(AFP) 
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The party said that Steven Woolfe had been excluded from the leadership race after submitting his nomination papers 17 minutes late

Britain's anti-EU UK independence party (UKIP) was plunged into disarray Wednesday after the favourite to take over its leadership was barred from the race for submitting his application 17 minutes late. Immigration spokesman Steven Woolfe was excluded from the contest to replace Nigel Farage, who stood down after achieving his life's mission of Brexit in the June 23 referendum on Britain's EU membership. The decision triggered immediate chaos within UKIP - Britain's third-biggest party by the popular vote - with three members of their ruling national executive committee (NEC) resigning in protest. Woolfe, a member of the European Parliament (MEP), said he suffered technical problems submitting his papers ahead of the midday Sunday deadline. UKIP's Adam Richardson, who is overseeing the election process, said a panel led by the NEC sat on Tuesday to discuss the eligibility of candidates. "By a clear majority of NEC members, Steven Woolfe MEP's application was considered to be ineligible as a result of a late submission and as such he did not meet the eligibility criteria," he said. The announcement immediately led to claims of foul play. Woolfe said he was "extremely disappointed" to have been excluded from the contest and said the NEC was "not fit for purpose". Businessman Arron Banks, the party's main financial backer, said the decision to exclude Woolfe was the "final straw", calling it effectively a "coup". The three NEC members who quit said in a statement that the body was "collectively in pursuit of oligarchy, self-promotion and cronyism", with some board members suffering from "escalating megalomania". "Steven Woolfe is a popular candidate among UKIP's members and should be permitted to represent those that wish to vote for him," they said. "To purposefully trawl for technicalities upon which to base a decision to deny his inclusion is not in the best interests of the membership and truly injurious to UKIP." UKIP instrumental in Brexit Farage and the rise of UKIP, an anti-EU, anti-mass immigration party, played a key role in the push for a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. UKIP scored the third-highest number of votes in the 2015 general election, taking 12.7 per cent of the vote, but only won one constituency. They campaigned all-out for Britain to leave the EU in the June referendum on its membership of the bloc. Farage, who first became UKIP leader in 2006, stepped down after the vote to quit the EU, saying his "I want my country back" mantra was now "I want my life back". The six candidates allowed to stand are MEPs Jonathan Arnott, Bill Etheridge and Diane James, local authority councillor Lisa Duffy, NEC member Elizabeth Jones and Phillip Broughton, who stood as a prospective member of parliament. Changes made in July ruled out several possible leadership candidates, including the party's only MP Douglas Carswell and former MP Mark Reckless. Bookmakers immediately installed home affairs spokeswoman James, who narrowly lost a high-profile parliamentary by-election in 2013, as their new odds-on favourite. Ballot papers are to be issued to members on September 1, with the new leader declared on September 15 at the party's annual conference. (AFP)

Britain's UKIP faces dilemma after embarrassing exit for frontrunner Woolfe

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