UKIP Uncovered

UKIP Uncovered
What motivates the leaders of the United Kingdom Independence Party?

Sunday, March 14, 2004

Has 'New Britain' metamorphosed into UKIP?

Certainly New Britain seems to have all but effectively disappeared at about the same time as various of its ex-members seized almost supreme control of UKIP.

Below is another possible instance of links between the two parties, albeit received some time ago, and possibly therefore out of date as to present New Britain plans :-

The New Britain Party, which has policies very similar to UKIP, has specifically targeted Yorkshire as a region where it intends to stand in the 2004 EU elections. Winters was appointed as the paid recruiter for New Britain, although it is now claimed that he is no longer active in that post. Notwithstanding that claim, Winters has approached UKIP members and prominent EU sceptics and tried to involve them in New Britain. Winters has reappointed himself as the UKIP Bradford committee with the full support of the leadership and against the representations of the (since suspended - ed.,) Yorkshire regional committee. Winters?s role in New Britain is (it has been reported to us) seemingly particularly protected by Mike Nattrass, David Lott and Derek Clark, all of whom have refused to take action despite being fully aware of the situation. Winters has been described as ?an infiltrator? who has supplied some useful information to UKIP.

If this is the same Ivan Winters, described in the widely circulated UKIP news sheet 'On the Grapevine' Issue 1 of 24th February 2001, then he seems to make a practise of infiltrating different political parties, having been described therein as having reportedly served a nine month jail sentence for defrauding the Conservative Party (of which we assume he must also at one time have been a member).

As the West Midlands seems to be an area with particular connections with New Britain it is noteworthy that one of those named as planning to join the party in the New Britain magazine of June 1997 was a Paul Gilbert (of Meriden), which also happens to be the name of the present UKIP Regional Organiser for that region, who is also listed as contact for the European Election campaign, of which, of course, Mike Nattrass is, to UKIP's shame, still the region's Lead Candidate.

While I have yet to gather together all the documentation on the connections between New Britain and racism, nor received a reply from the NEC member I approached in the hope that they would propose a motion to the NEC proscribing New Britain membership as inconsistent with the UKIP candidature declaration, I nevertheless believe there is enough information on this blog and elsewhere within the public domain to make such a finding at tomorrow's NEC meeting a foregone conclusion. If they do not so decide, I trust any remaining non-racist MEP candidates on UKIP's lists will do the sensible thing and step down before they too are tarred with the inevitable 'racist' brush.

posted by Martin |8:13 AM