Gerard Batten quits as UKIP leader after European Parliament elections defeat
The former London MEP fulfils a promise he made to Sky News that his position would be "untenable" if he lost his seat.
Monday 3 June 2019 11:43, UK
UKIP has announced that leader Gerard Batten has resigned.
He is standing down after the party lost all its MEPs in the European Elections at the end of May.
A leadership contest will be launched imminently and the winner unveiled on 10 August.
UKIP said the move fulfils a promise Mr Batten made to step down around a year after being elected unopposed.
Party chair Kirstan Herriot said it was "incredibly grateful" for his "dedicated service".
The former London MEP responded with a "big thank you" to those who supported him "morally, materially and financially".
Mr Batten had teed himself up to resign last month in an exclusive interview with Sky News.
He admitted his position would be "untenable" if he lost his seat in the European Parliament.
UKIP lost all its 24 seats secured in 2014 under Nigel Farage's leadership to his new outfit, the Brexit Party, which topped the polls.
In the recent historic election, the Liberal Democrats came second, with Labour third, the Greens fourth and the Conservatives pushed into fifth place.
Mr Batten was UKIP's fifth leader in two years, as the party battled to secure the same wins it saw in the run up to the EU referendum in 2016.
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He drew criticism for defending one of the party's recent candidates, who said they "wouldn't even rape" a Labour MP.
Mr Batten called the comment "satire" and praised Carl Benjamin as a "classical liberal" and "proponent of free speech".