Graham Booth

{{Short description|British politician (1940–2011)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Refimprove|date=August 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Graham Booth

|birthname =

|birth_date = 29 March 1940

|birth_place = Paignton, Devon, United Kingdom

|death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|12|14|1940|3|29|df=y}}

|death_place =

|office = Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party

|term_start = 22 January 2000

|term_end = 5 October 2002

|predecessor = Craig Mackinlay

|successor = Mike Nattrass

|constituency_MP3 = South West England

|parliament3 = European

|majority3 =

|term_start3 = 15 December 2002

|term_end3 = 1 October 2008

|predecessor3 = Michael Holmes

|successor3 = Trevor Colman

|party = UK Independence Party

|otherparty =

|alma_mater =

}}

Graham Harry Booth (29 March 1940 – 14 December 2011) was a British UK Independence Party (UKIP) politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England from 2002 to 2008.

Booth was born in Paignton, Devon and educated at Torquay Boys' Grammar School. Before he entered politics, he was a businessman in the building and tourism trades. In the 1999 European Parliament elections, Booth was the number two candidate on the UKIP list for South West England. Consequently, he became an MEP in 2002 as the replacement for Michael Holmes, former party leader, when Holmes resigned from the European Parliament. Booth was re-elected in 2004 with a greatly increased vote. In the 2005 General Election he contested the Torbay constituency in Devon, and gained 7.9% of the vote.

UKIP MEPs frequently claim that the European Parliament is a powerless talking shop, with real lawmaking power resting with the European Commission. However, Graham Booth is credited with having helped save the Isles of Scilly helicopter shuttle service in his constituency by means of an astute parliamentary speech in 2003.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/07/06/nbook06.xml|title=Blunkett revives transportation to Australia|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=6 July 2003|access-date=22 October 2006}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The service, which is crucial to life on the islands, had been threatened with closure by a heavy-handed interpretation of a new EU directive aimed at larger airlines. Following Booth's speech, an alliance between UKIP and the UK Labour Party MEPs persuaded the EU Transport Commissioner to amend the directive, allowing the service (and similar 'social carriers' across Europe) to continue in business.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

Booth retired from his role as a UKIP MEP on 1 October 2008 and was replaced by the next candidate on the list, Trevor Colman. He continued to be a keen activist in and around the bay until his death in December 2011.{{cite web

|url=http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/2568-farewell-to-a-faithful-party-servant

|title=Farewell to a faithful party servant

|publisher=UK Independence Party

|date=15 December 2011

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116065904/http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/2568-farewell-to-a-faithful-party-servant

|archive-date=16 November 2006

|url-status=dead

}}