Henry Bolton has been elected as the new leader of Ukip, becoming the party's fourth leader in just over a year.

He replaces Paul Nuttall who resigned after the General Election.

The little-known candidate beat the two front runners in the contest - anti-Islam campaigner Anne Marie Waters and London Assembly member Peter Whittle - to win with 3,874 votes.

Addressing party members, he said: "Brexit is our core task, however, it is not the end of the line.

"When we leave the European Union, that is not the end of the story. We're leaving the European Union because we as a nation want to have that right of self determination.

"We want to be responsible for our own destiny, not decided in a foreign capital." </s> Henry Bolton has been elected to become Ukip’s fourth leader within a year. A former soldier and police officer, Bolton won a tight seven-way race, taking 29.9% (3,874) of the overall votes. He is now tasked with charting a new direction for the party after the EU referendum. The results for the leadership race were announced on the first day of Ukip’s annual conference in Torquay </s> UKIP members have voted to sack leader Henry Bolton after controversy over racist messages sent by his partner.

The former army officer's fate was decided after 63% voted to back a no confidence motion at an extraordinary general meeting in Birmingham.

He had faced calls to quit after it emerged his partner Jo Marney sent racist messages about Meghan Markle.

Gerard Batten will take over as interim leader and there will be a leadership election within 90 days.

Following the vote, Mr Bolton, who had been in the job for less than six months, said he had "not finished in politics yet".

He was elected in September in the wake of UKIP's disastrous performance in last year's general election.

The party's national executive committee expressed no confidence in him last month, triggering the ballot.

Outgoing chairman Paul Oakden said: "Henry Bolton has been removed by the democratic decision of the membership".

Mr Bolton, who lost the no confidence motion by 867 votes to 500, was the party's fourth leader in 18 months.

He had replaced Paul Nuttall, who quit after the general election - which saw UKIP's vote share shrink to 1.8% from 12.6% in 2015. </s> Henry Bolton has been ousted as Ukip leader by members after threatening to sue the party at an Extraordinary General Meeting.

Bolton, who called for the meeting after being given a vote of no confidence by party chiefs in January, lost a ballot of members with 63% backing his sacking.

The former soldier was hoping he could win the support of Ukip members at the meeting in Birmingham, but alienated much of the crowd with a threat to sue the party if he lost during his final speech on Saturday afternoon.

In an earlier address to the around 1,400 members, Bolton claimed his opponents were “the enemy within” the party.

But 876 of the 1406 votes cast were in favour of removing Bolton.

Party veteran Gerard Batten, a founder of Ukip, was announced as the interim leader, while a new leadership election will be held within 90 days. </s> UKIP has confirmed it has a new leader - its fifth since Nigel Farage stepped down in late 2016.

Gerard Batten, who ran unopposed in the election to replace Henry Bolton, announced he had taken over the role officially on Saturday.

Mr Bolton, 55, was ousted from the leadership following a scandal over his affair with 25-year-old model Jo Marney.

Mr Batten, who is also UKIP's MEP for London, said he would now concentrate on restoring the "party's fortunes" after it saw its vote share in the polls slip from a high of more than 25% in the European elections in 2014 to less than 2% in 2017.

Image: There have been five leaders since Nigel Farage stepped down in 2016

He also pledged to resign after 12 months to allow a full leadership election to take place.

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He said in a statement: "I received the backing of all three UKIP Lords, our major donors, our MEPs, our London and Welsh Assembly Members, and party activists and members from all over the UK.

"I would like to thank everyone for their support, and am grateful for the trust and confidence placed in me.

"For the next twelve months, I will concentrate on doing all I can to restore the party's fortunes. A very good start has been made and the party is now on a sound financial footing.

Image: Paul Nuttall lasted seven months before he quit after the General Election

"However, we need to get UKIP back into the political fight. We have made a very good start with the 554 UKIP candidates standing in the English local elections.

"Don't pay any attention to our enemies who are crowing that our candidates numbers are 75% down on what they were last time.

"The truth is that instead of 554 candidates, the number would have been zero if you had not all backed me from the 17 April onwards and the party had disintegrated. Instead, let's celebrate the 554 and help them all we can.

"My role as Interim Leader was to ensure the immediate survival of the party. That has been done. However, we must move on and progress."

Image: Henry Bolton was ousted after he had an affair

UKIP lost control of its only major council in February when the party's local leader resigned.

Before he became the official leader, Mr Batten was forced to defend his description of Islam as a "death cult".

Diane James was the first to replace Mr Farage after a vote but, before taking up the role, she announced she would not be doing so as she claimed she did not have the authority.

Paul Nuttall followed Ms James but lasted seven months before he resigned when he failed to win a seat in the General Election.

Steve Crowther was acting leader until Mr Bolton was elected. </s> Henry Bolton has been ousted as Ukip leader after party members backed a motion of no confidence in him.

Henry Bolton has been ousted as Ukip leader after party members backed a motion of no confidence in him.

At a crisis meeting in Birmingham, activists voted by 867 to 500 to express their lack of faith in his ability to lead the party.

The move now leaves the party facing a further period of uncertainty, with Mr Bolton forced out after only being elected in September last year. Mr Bolton had attempted to cling on to the leadership despite a no confidence vote by the ruling national executive committee (NEC) and a revolt by several senior figures in the party in protest at his relationship with model Jo Marney.

Mr Bolton said he still has "strong affections" for his former girlfriend who sent offensive messages about Meghan Markle, and compared the scrutiny of his private life to that faced by Diana, Princess of Wales. Ukip will face a fresh leadership election within 90 days after Mr Bolton lost the no confidence motion.

Outgoing chairman Paul Oakden said: "Henry Bolton has been removed by the democratic decision of the membership". Gerard Batten will take over as Ukip's interim leader, the party announced.

Speculation is mounting that Mr Bolton's exit could pave the way for the return of former leader Nigel Farage. Senior Ukip figure Suzanne Evans told the Press Association ahead of the vote that it was "crunch time" for the party and Mr Farage should again take the helm.

The pro-Brexit party has lurched from crisis to crisis since Mr Farage relinquished power following the 2016 referendum, with a succession of leading party figures failing to keep a grip on the leadership.

Mr Bolton earlier said he thought "it's going to be very difficult for the party to survive" another round of leadership turmoil.

He had also suggested he would not rule out running for the top job again in future. The cash-strapped party faces a separate series of challenges, including the prospect of a hefty legal bill over a defamation action brought by Rotherham's three Labour MPs against MEP Jane Collins. </s> UKIP leader Henry Bolton arrives at the ICC in Birmingham as the UKIP EGM decide his future as leader.

Henry Bolton has stepped down as leader of UKIP just five months after being elected leader, after members overwhelmingly voted to remove him.

More than 1,500 UKIP members congregated in Birmingham on Saturday for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to decide his fate, after a controversy-strewn few weeks in which he was called on to defend offensive messages sent by his girlfriend about Meghan Markle, the fiancée of Prince Harry.

Out of 1,300 ballot papers, 857 were cast in favour of a motion of no confidence, a majority of 67%. The party's National Executive met immediately after the vote and after about 15 minutes announced that Gerard Batten would be the interim leader.

Outgoing party chairman Paul Oakden told delegates to remain faithful to the party regardless of the decision. </s> Who Is Henry Bolton? Meet Ukip’s New Leader

Henry Bolton has been named as the new leader of Ukip following a shock result at the party's conference in Torquay - this is all you need to know about him.

The vote had been billed as a two-way battle between the anti-Islam candidate Anne-Marie Waters and former London Mayoral candidate Peter Whittle.

However, with 29.9 per cent of the party’s vote, Mr Botlon will replace Paul Nuttall, who resigned following the General Election.

Henry Bolton: Everything you need to know.

The former police officer, army officer and UN Governor was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to international security.

Last year he stood as Ukip’s candidate for Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, finishing in second place to the Conservatives.

Most surprisingly he was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2005 General Election in the Surrey seat of Runnymede and Weybridge.

He landed in third place, behind Labour and the now Chancellor Philip Hammond who stormed to victory with 51.4 per cent of the vote.

The 54-year-old has previously worked as part of the European Commission, in which he worked on building a common foreign security policy.

In 2014, Mr Bolton joined Ukip, saying that he felt more comfortable in a party that said what it thought.

Former Ukip leader and LBC presenter Nigel Farage told LBC he had backed Mr Bolton to become the party's fourth leader in just over a year.

He described Ukip's new chief as a “a guy of achievement and a man of substance”.

Reacting to the result on LBC, he said: "He got my vote that was no doubt at all... There was a time when no one knew who I was, so the fact that he is not well known is not a disqualification at all.

“This is a man with a truly remarkable background. He was the top candidate at Sandhurst, he’s done some remarkable things in the British Army, equally has done some remarkable things in the British police force." </s> Henry Bolton has been elected as the new leader of Ukip in a shock result.

The little-known candidate beat the two front runners in the contest – anti-Islam campaigner Anne Marie Waters and London Assembly member Peter Whittle – to win with 3,874 votes.

He told the party members: “Brexit is our core task, however, it is not the end of the line.”

The former Army officer warned earlier this month that Ukip was in danger of becoming the “UK Nazi Party” if it picked the wrong leader to succeed Paul Nuttall, in comments which appeared to be aimed at Ms Waters.

In his victory speech at Ukip conference in Torquay, he called on members to rally around the party.

“Without being united, we cannot lead,” he said.

The party has struggled to find its feet since Nigel Farage quit, and its vote share fell to 1.8% at the general election from 12.6% in 2015.

Some 12,915 votes were cast in the leadership election, a 46% turnout.

Mr Whittle, who had been touted as a likely winner, came a surprise fifth with 1,413 – an 11% share of the vote – while Ms Waters came second with 2,755 votes, a 21% vote share.

Up to 18 of the 20 Ukip MEPs had been reportedly preparing to quit the party if Ms Waters had won the leadership battle.

Mr Bolton called on the party to unite behind him to allow him to deliver its aims.

He said: “I do not see myself now as simply being your leader, I see myself as serving this party. You are the party, not me, and this party needs to serve its country.

“There is no greater calling than that and I would call on all of you, whether you voted for me or not, to rally around the party, to be united.”

Mr Farage said he was “delighted” Mr Bolton had won the leadership battle.

“He is a man of real substance,” the former leader added.
Henry Bolton wins UKIP leadership, taking over the position from Paul Nuttall, who resigned after the party's poor performance in the last general election.