Lois Perry
Lois Perry | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the UK Independence Party | |
| In office 13 May 2024 – 15 June 2024 | |
| Deputy | Nick Tenconi |
| Preceded by | Neil Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Nick Tenconi (Interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 1981 (age 43) [1] Leigh-on-Sea, England |
| Political party | UKIP (2024) |
| Other political affiliations | Reclaim Party (pre-2024) |
Lois Perry (born June 1981) is a British politician, broadcaster and activist who was leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from May to June 2024.[2][3]
Background
[edit]Perry founded Car26 in 2021, an anti-net zero group, in response to the Cop26 summit.[4][5]
Political career
[edit]Perry was previously a member of Laurence Fox's Reclaim Party, serving as their South East spokesperson.[6] In this role, she called for stop and searches of youths deemed to be suspicious in the Southend area, following a series of antisocial incidents.[7]
Leadership of UKIP and 2024 general election
[edit]In early 2024, Perry declared her candidacy for leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), after Neil Hamilton announced his retirement.[8] She won the subsequent leadership contest, beating rival Bill Etheridge, with 77.4% of all votes cast.[9]
Ahead of the 2024 general election, Perry revealed that she would be standing in Harlow.[10] Controversially, she was pictured with Reform UK leader and candidate for Clacton Nigel Farage at a lunch event, who she encouraged voters to back, despite UKIP also standing a candidate there. Additionally, she endorsed Reform's Lee Anderson as MP for Ashfield.[11][12] On 15 June 2024 Perry resigned as leader, in order to spend time recovering from a recent battle with pneumonia, which left her hospitalised.[13] Despite her resignation, she remained a candidate for the general election, due to the nomination deadline having been passed.[14] Perry came last out of all candidates in Harlow, polling only 157 votes (0.4%).[15]
The Heartland Institute
[edit]In December 2024, Perry was announced as the Executive Director of the newly-formed Heartland Institute UK/EU. The Heartland Institute is a US-based organisation which describes itself as "the world's most prominent think tank supporting skepticism about man-made climate change".[16] Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, was a guest speaker at the launch event for Heartland Institute UK/EU.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Lois Perry". Companies House. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Who is UKIP new leader Lois Perry? Climate-denying, woke-mind-virus battling politician". Yahoo news. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Ukip leader Lois Perry resigns mid-election after just 34 days in role". GB News. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "New Climate Denial Group Run by Celebrity PR Exec Behind 'Net Zero Referendum' Poll". DeSmog. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Car26: the puzzle that is former UKIP Leader Lois Perry's company". Searchlight. 25 August 2024.
- ^ "The Brexit dark money lobby has a new target – climate change action". Open Democracy. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Laurence Fox's Reclaim Party calls for stop and search in Leigh targeting suspect youths". Echo News. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "UKIP Leadership Candidate". Leigh News. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "2024 UKIP leadership election". UKIP. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "General Election 2024: The strange case of Harlow's Ukip candidate". Your Harlow. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Lois Perry on X". X. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Newly elected UKIP Leader quits". Searchlight. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Lois Perry on X". X. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ "Former UKIP leader among six candidates bidding to succeed Robert Halfon as Harlow MP". Bishops Stortford Independent. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ "Harlow - General election results - 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ JLakely (16 December 2024). "The Heartland Institute Solidifies its Global Impact by Founding 'Heartland UK/Europe'". The Heartland Institute. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ JLakely (16 December 2024). "The Heartland Institute Solidifies its Global Impact by Founding 'Heartland UK/Europe'". The Heartland Institute. Retrieved 19 December 2024.