UK Independence Party

UK Independence Party
Abbreviation	UKIP
Leader	Neil Hamilton[1]
Chairman	Ben Walker
General Secretary	Donald Mackay[2]
Treasurer	Ian Garbutt[2]
Founder	Alan Sked
Founded	3 September 1993; 30 years ago (1993-09-03)
Preceded by	Anti-Federalist League
Headquarters	Henleaze Business Centre, 13 Harbury Road, Henleaze, Bristol, BS9 4PN[3]
Youth wing	Young Independence
Membership (2020)	3,888[4]
Ideology	Euroscepticism[5][6] Right-wing populism[6][7] National conservatism[8] Economic liberalism[6] British nationalism[9]
Political position	Right-wing[10] to far-right[11]
European Parliament group	Europe of Democracies and Diversities (1999–2004) Independence/Democracy (2004–2009) Europe of Freedom and Democracy (2009–2014) Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (2014–2018) Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (2014–2017) Europe of Nations and Freedom (2019)
Colours	Purple   Gold
Slogan	"People not politics"
Website
ukip.org
Politics of the United Kingdom Political parties Elections

The UK Independence Party (UKIP; /ˈjuːkɪp/ YOO-kip) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of parliament (both through defections) and was the largest party representing the UK in the European Parliament. The party is currently led by Neil Hamilton.

UKIP originated as the Anti-Federalist League, a single-issue Eurosceptic party established in London by Alan Sked in 1991. It was renamed UKIP in 1993, but its growth remained slow. It was largely eclipsed by the Eurosceptic Referendum Party until the latter's 1997 dissolution. In 1997, Sked was ousted by a faction led by Nigel Farage, who became the party's preeminent figure. In 2006, Farage officially became leader and, under his direction, the party adopted a wider policy platform and capitalised on concerns about rising immigration, in particular among the white British working class. This resulted in significant breakthroughs at the 2013 local elections, 2014 European parliamentary elections, and 2015 general election. After the UK voted to leave the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum, Farage stepped down as UKIP leader, later joining the Brexit Party. UKIP subsequently saw its vote share and membership heavily decline, losing almost all of its elected representatives amid much internal instability and a drift toward a far-right, anti-Islam message.

Ideologically positioned on the right-wing of British politics, UKIP is characterised by political scientists as a right-wing populist party. Its primary emphasis has been on hard Euroscepticism; it was one of the first to call for the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (EU). It promotes a British unionist and British nationalist agenda, encouraging a unitary British identity in opposition to growing Welsh, Irish and Scottish nationalisms. UKIP has also placed emphasis on lowering immigration, rejecting multiculturalism, and opposing what it calls the "Islamification" of Britain. Influenced by Thatcherism and classical liberalism, it describes itself as economically libertarian and promotes liberal economic policies. On social issues such as LGBT rights, education policy, and criminal justice it is traditionalist. Having an ideological heritage stemming from the right-wing of the Conservative Party, it has distinguished itself from the political establishment through heavy use of populist rhetoric, for example, through Farage's description of its supporters as the "People's Army".

Governed by its leader and national executive committee, UKIP is divided into 12 regional groups. While gaining electoral support from various sectors of British society, psephologists established that at its height, UKIP's primary voting base consisted of older, working-class white men living in England. UKIP has faced a critical reception from mainstream political parties, much of the media, and anti-fascist groups. Its discourse on immigration and cultural identity generated accusations of racism and xenophobia, both of which it denies.