UK Independence Party leader Henry Bolton has dumped his girlfriend Jo Marney following the revelation that the glamour model made racist remarks about Meghan Markle.
“It’s not obvious why [Bolton] should be held responsible for his girlfriend’s appalling views, but it looks like he’s caved to demands from MEPs that she goes or he does,” says HuffPost’s Paul Waugh. This latest drama highlights the party’s slide “from historic change-makers (that EU referendum would never have happened without them) to irrelevant pantomime repertory”, Waugh adds.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Questions have been raised about Bolton’s judgment in dating Marney, whose racist phone texts to a friend included comments that the “black American” Markle would “taint” the royal family. According to The Sun, Marney also claimed women refugees arriving in the UK would “f*** a mangy dog for about ten quid and a Big Mac”.
If Bolton jumps, UKIP will be left looking for its fifth leader since the EU referendum 18 months ago, raising questions about the party’s survival. There has been speculation of a possible return for UKIP’s most popular leader to date, Nigel Farage - an idea he dismisses. “No chance,” Farage said, according to the Daily Mail.
Bolton - fighting for his survival this morning - told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he had only dated Marney for a month, and that UKIP remains relevant. “It is very important for the national debate, I believe, that the pro-Brexit voice is heard in British politics,” Bolton said.
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Earth is rapidly approaching a ‘hothouse’ trajectory of warmingThe explainer It may become impossible to fix
-
Local elections 2026: where are they and who is expected to win?The Explainer Labour is braced for heavy losses and U-turn on postponing some council elections hasn’t helped the party’s prospects
-
How corrupt is the UK?The Explainer Decline in standards ‘risks becoming a defining feature of our political culture’ as Britain falls to lowest ever score on global index
-
Three consequences from the Jenrick defectionThe Explainer Both Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage may claim victory, but Jenrick’s move has ‘all-but ended the chances of any deal to unite the British right’
-
The high street: Britain’s next political battleground?In the Spotlight Mass closure of shops and influx of organised crime are fuelling voter anger, and offer an opening for Reform UK
-
Nigel Farage’s £9mn windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
-
Nigel Farage: was he a teenage racist?Talking Point Farage’s denials have been ‘slippery’, but should claims from Reform leader’s schooldays be on the news agenda?
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
