Harriet Yeo
{{Short description|British trade unionist and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
Harriet Bronwen Yeo is a British trade unionist, a former Treasurer and President of Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA),{{cite news |url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1326830.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218003458/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1326830.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 18, 2015 |title='Chauvinist' union's lap-dancing and lies |author=Isabel Oakeshott |newspaper=Sunday Times |location=London |date=13 October 2013 |accessdate=17 February 2015 |quote=The former Labour NEC chief tells Isabel Oakeshott how she was ousted from her union presidency by dirty tricks}} and a UK Independence Party (UKIP) politician who stood unsuccessfully for parliament in Folkestone and Hythe at the 2015 general election.{{Cite news |date=2015-03-24 |title=UKIP replace Janice Atkinson with Labour defector |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-32039227 |access-date=2024-07-20 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
Biography
Formerly a Labour politician, she was a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party until September 2013, and was national Chair of the Party for the year 2012–2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.labour.org.uk/national_executive_committee |title=Labour's National Executive Committee |publisher=Labour Party |accessdate=25 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927054556/http://www.labour.org.uk/national_executive_committee |archivedate=27 September 2013 }} She was a councillor in Ashford Borough Council, Kent, where she was Leader of the Labour Group until February 2015.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31512117 |title=Harriet Yeo, former Labour NEC chairwoman, backs UKIP |publisher=BBC |date=17 February 2015 |accessdate=17 February 2015}} In 2012 she stood as Labour candidate for Police and crime commissioner for Kent.{{cite web |url=https://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/candidates/harriet-bronwen-yeo/ |title=Harriet Bronwen Yeo |publisher=choosemypcc.org.uk |accessdate=23 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223231842/https://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/candidates/harriet-bronwen-yeo/ |archivedate=23 February 2015 }}{{cite news |url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/labours-police-commissioner-can-a63427/ |title=Labour's police commissioner candidate Harriet Yeo a victim of crime |author=Paul Francis |newspaper=Kent Online |date=18 June 2012 |accessdate=17 February 2015}}
Yeo was deselected as a Labour candidate for the 2015 local elections and left to join UKIP the next day. She was also replaced as leader of Ashford Council's Labour group, after being accused of non-attendance at council meetings and a failure undertake council casework.{{Cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2015/02/former-chair-of-labours-nec-leaves-party-to-support-ukip/|title=Former chair of Labour's NEC leaves party to support UKIP|date=February 17, 2015|website=LabourList}}
= Joining UKIP =
In February 2015, she left the Labour Party, blaming Ed Miliband's refusal to promise an EU In/Out Referendum,{{cite news| url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/labours-harriet-yeo-leaves-party-to-support-ukip-in-general-election-10052349.html | title = 'Labour's Harriet Yeo leaves party to support Ukip in general election'| accessdate = 2015-03-25 | date = 2015-02-17 | newspaper = The Independent}} and announced support for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) without becoming a member of UKIP, sitting as an independent councillor.{{cite news| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11418374/Top-Labour-figure-dumps-Ed-Miliband-for-Ukip.html | title = 'Top Labour figure dumps Ed Miliband for Ukip'| accessdate = 2015-02-17 | date = 2015-02-17 | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph}} Her daughter had also left Labour to stand for UKIP in the 2013 Kent County Council elections for the Ashford South division, an election where Harriet Yeo had also stood for Labour unsuccessfully in the Ashford East division.{{cite news |url=http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/rocky_road_for_ukip_as_media_assaults_deflect_defection_boost_1_3964971 |title=Rocky road for Ukip as media assaults deflect defection boost |author=Maria Chiorando |newspaper=kentnews.co.uk |date=22 February 2015 |accessdate=23 February 2015}}
On 24 March 2015, it was announced that Yeo had joined UKIP and was to replace Janice Atkinson, UKIP's Prospective parliamentary candidate in Folkestone and Hythe, who had been removed from UKIP the day before amid an alleged expenses fraud. In the general election held on 7 May, Yeo came second in Folkestone and Hythe, losing to Damian Collins (Conservative) with 12,526 votes. Elections to Ashford Borough Council were held on the same day, but she did not stand for re-election there.[http://www.ashford.gov.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n6907.pdf&ver=10153 Result of Election, Ashford Borough Council, 7 May 2015] (all results) at ashford.gov.uk, accessed 1 November 2015
References
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{{Succession box| title=Chair of the Labour Party | before=Michael Cashman | after=Angela Eagle| years= 2012–13}}
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{{succession box|title=President of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association|years=2011–2013|before=Andy Bain|after=Mick Carney}}
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Category:Labour Party (UK) councillors
Category:Labour Party (UK) officials
Category:Chairs of the Labour Party (UK)
Category:Presidents of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association
Category:UK Independence Party parliamentary candidates
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)