Jonathan Arnott

Arnott was born in Sheffield.{{cite news| last=Wilkinson| first=Michael| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/ukip-leadership-election-who-are-the-candidates/|title=Ukip leadership election: who are the candidates to replace Nigel Farage?| date=7 September 2016| work=Daily Telegraph| location=London | access-date=18 January 2018}} At the age of 15 he enrolled at the University of Sheffield, graduating with a MMath in mathematics.{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/jonathan-arnott|title=Jonathan Arnott| work=The Huffington Post| publisher = AOL| access-date=11 March 2015}}

Arnott was Head of Mathematics at Handsworth Christian School. He is known for his belief that those in politics should keep doing a real-world job, and therefore he continued to teach on a part-time basis until his election as an MEP.

Arnott joined UKIP in 2001, and stood in the 2004 and 2009 European elections, being the party's No.2 list candidate in the Yorkshire and the Humber region on both occasions.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8040408.stm#yorkshumber | work=BBC News| publisher =BBC| title=European election candidates: Yorks. and the Humber| date=2 June 2009| access-date=2 February 2014}} Until 2008 he was the part-time local elections co-ordinator for the party, working with 300 candidates to increase the number of UKIP councillors.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4852794.stm | work=BBC News| publisher=BBC | title=UKIP launches local poll campaign | date=28 March 2006|access-date=2 February 2014}} At the 2008 UKIP conference, Arnott was unveiled as the new party General Secretary. Arnott resigned as General Secretary—after six years in the position—in August 2014.

{{Details|UK Independence Party leadership election, September 2016}}

In July 2016, Arnott launched his bid to become leader of UKIP following the resignation of Nigel Farage. He gained the support of Yorkshire and the Humber MEP's Jane Collins and Mike Hookem. Arnott said he wanted to appeal to the millions of voters who did not support UKIP in the previous year's general election but backed Brexit in the EU referendum. He withdrew from the contest in August, acknowledging he couldn't win and saying he refused to be controversial just to grab headlines.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/15/ukip-candidate-withdraws-from-leadership-contest-after-admitting/|title=Ukip candidate withdraws from leadership contest after admitting he would only finish second |work=Daily Telegraph|location=London|first=Laura| last=Hughes| date=15 August 2016| access-date=15 August 2016| df=dmy-all}}

During the 2017 UKIP leadership election Arnott repeatedly warned that far-right entryists had signed up as members of UKIP in an attempt to take over the party by electing Anne Marie Waters as the next leader.{{Cite news| url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/ukip-mep-jonathan-arnott-signals-13296205| title=UKIP could be on the verge of "dying", says senior North East party figure| last=Seddon| first=Sean| date=8 July 2017| work=Evening Chronicle| publisher=Trinity Mirror| location=Newcastle upon Tyne| access-date=17 January 2018}} He said that UKIP would be on the verge of dying if this attempt was not thwarted and said that he "could not under any circumstances support Anne Marie Waters".

In the general election of 2005 he stood as a UKIP candidate for the Sheffield Attercliffe constituency, coming fourth overall with 4.5% of the vote,{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/10052/jonathan-arnott| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219025325/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/10052/jonathan-arnott| url-status=dead| archive-date=19 February 2014|title=Jonathan Arnott: Electoral History and Profile| work=The Guardian| access-date=18 December 2009| location=London}} losing his deposit. Arnott was then selected to contest the Sheffield South East constituency for the 2010 general election.

Just before the election, he took part in the second half of a Radio 5 Live debate on crime with Alan Johnson, Chris Grayling and Chris Huhne. He spoke four times, calling for a reduction in police bureaucracy, abolition of jail sentence remission and rehabilitation of offenders. Arnott came fifth with 4.6% of the vote,{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/d94.stm |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC| title=Election 2010 – Sheffield South East|access-date=2 February 2014}} losing his deposit but increasing the UKIP vote by 0.2%.

In the 2015 general election, he was the UKIP representative in the BBC Daily Politics Education Debate {{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/election-2015-32435195/election-2015-daily-politics-debate-on-education |title=Election 2015: Daily Politics debate on education | publisher=BBC | work=BBC News| date=23 April 2016 | access-date=19 January 2018}} and in the young people's Newsbeat debate on the economy and housing.{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/32506876/election-2015-what-you-told-newsbeat-in-edinburgh-debate |title=Election 2015: What you told Newsbeat in Edinburgh debate | publisher=BBC | work= BBC News| date=28 April 2015 | access-date=15 July 2016}} He stood for the Easington constituency–the constituency in which he lived–coming second in the safe Labour seat with 18.7% of the vote, ahead of both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative candidates.{{cite news| title = Easington parliamentary constituency - Election 2015| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000677/#election2015-logo|work = BBC News| publisher=BBC| access-date=18 January 2018}}

After the 2015 general election, Arnott accused the party of peddling a "toxic message" and "banging on" about immigration which he said lead to "self-inflicted" disappointing results.{{Cite news| url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/ukip-mep-jonathan-arnott-believes-9258026| title=UKIP MEP Jonathan Arnott believes 'party needs to change - and fast'| last=Wearmouth| first=Rachel| date=14 May 2015| work=Evening Chronicle| publisher=Trinity Mirror| location=Newcastle upon Tyne| access-date=17 January 2018| quote=So why, oh why, do we turn almost every question into an immigration issue? Question about jobs ... it’s immigration. Question about housing? Clearly an immigration issue. Class sizes? Immigration. The economy? Immigration. Traffic jams? Immigration. Health service? No, wait, let me guess.}} He also criticised the party's candidate selection process which allowed people with what he called "abhorrent" views to represent the party.{{Cite news| url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/ukip-mep-jonathan-arnott-believes-9258026| title=UKIP MEP Jonathan Arnott believes 'party needs to change - and fast'| last=Wearmouth| first=Rachel| date=14 May 2015| work=Evening Chronicle| publisher=Trinity Mirror| location=Newcastle upon Tyne| access-date=17 January 2018| quote=But when (as in Hampstead & Kilburn) we select a Parliamentary candidate whose abhorrent views were aired and publicised already at last year’s council elections, the resultant bad publicity is entirely our own fault. The candidate concerned finished in 5th place, losing his deposit. I can’t say I’m surprised - and I’ll be blunt: if I lived in that constituency, I couldn't have voted UKIP either.}}

Arnott was one of the most vocal internal critics of the infamous UKIP "breaking point" poster{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ukip/status/743382813542494212?lang=en|title=New UKIP Poster launching today - Breaking Pointpic.twitter.com/PjMWSLbBNZ|last=UKIP|date=16 June 2016|website=@ukip|access-date=17 January 2018}} that was unveiled in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum. He described this as "dog-whistle politics".{{cite news| url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/ukip-mep-jonathan-arnott-believes-9258026| title=UKIP MEP Jonathan Arnott believes 'party needs to change - and fast'| last=Wearmouth| first=Rachel| date=14 May 2015| work=Evening Chronicle| publisher=Trinity Mirror| location=Newcastle upon Tyne| access-date=17 January 2018| quote=We’re not here to blame immigrants. We welcome them with open arms – not at the rate of a net 300,000 a year, but at a sustainable rate. But from the time of the billboards focused on Romania and Bulgaria in our European election campaign in 2014, the message above has seemingly replaced by dog-whistle politics. The message we portray is often toxic, but our candidates just aren’t like that at all.}}

He said it was "heartbreaking" that on the campaign trail he had to plead with people who perceived the poster as racist not to abandon their intention to vote Leave.{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/jonathanarnottukip/posts/1753815194832230|title=Jonathan Arnott MEP|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=17 January 2018}} He believed this poster lost a lot of votes for the Leave campaign.

In the 2011 local elections Arnott came second in the Woodhouse ward with 13.1% of the vote, behind the Labour party with 62.9%. He then led UKIP in the 2012 local elections, the party coming fourth overall with 10.25% of votes, up from 1.6% in the comparable 2008 local elections. Arnott himself finished second in Woodhouse ward with 22.1%, behind the Labour party with 60.2% of votes.

On 12 October 2012, Arnott was announced as the UKIP candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in South Yorkshire{{cite web |url=http://www.ukipsheffield.co.uk/2012/10/arnott-to-stand-for-police-commissioner/ |title=Arnott to stand for Police Commissioner « UKIP Sheffield |publisher=Ukipsheffield.co.uk |access-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114050748/http://www.ukipsheffield.co.uk/2012/10/arnott-to-stand-for-police-commissioner/ |archive-date=14 January 2013 }} coming fourth with 11.54% of the vote.

On 25 May 2014, it was announced that Arnott had been elected as UKIP's first ever MEP for North East England. Arnott used his acceptance speech on election night to highlight what he described as an election campaign that had been "marred by a campaign of hate, waged against UKIP by those who fear a realignment of British politics".{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

Following Arnott's election to the European Parliament, it was announced that he was to represent the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group on both the Committee on Budgets and the Budgetary Control Committee. Arnott's maiden speech was in Strasbourg in a debate on youth unemployment, where he highlighted how the North East of England had the highest rate of youth unemployment in the UK, with at least one in four young people unemployed. In the speech, he criticised Labour's support of the EU's flagship 'youth guarantee scheme' labelling it as a 'guaranteed failure'; highlighting previous criticisms from the International Labour Organisation.

Since his election Arnott has made more speeches in the European Parliament than any other British MEP.{{cite web| url=http://mepranking.eu/8/ep.php?order=CRE |title=MEPRanking.eu |publisher=Mepranking.eu |date=9 July 2016 |access-date=15 July 2016}} At 97.23% his Parliamentary voting record is substantially higher than that of all other UKIP MEPs,{{cite web |url=http://mepranking.eu/8/group.php?grp=EFDD&order=RCVOT#ranking |title=MEPRanking.eu, the best quantitative analysis of the EP activity |publisher=Mepranking.eu |date=9 July 2016 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=10 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810035955/http://mepranking.eu/8/group.php?grp=EFDD&order=RCVOT#ranking |url-status=dead }} although he also votes against the Party whip more than any other UKIP MEP.{{cite web|url=http://www.votewatch.eu/en/term8-jonathan-arnott.html |title=Jonathan ARNOTT| work=VoteWatch Europe | date=16 April 2016 |access-date=15 July 2016}}

On 1 March 2018 Arnott was one of three UK MEPs who voted against a motion to encourage national parliaments to ban "gay conversion therapies".{{cite web | url=http://www.votewatch.eu/en/term8-situation-of-fundamental-rights-in-the-eu-in-2016-motion-for-resolution-after-paragraph-63-amendment-2.html |title = Situation of fundamental rights in the EU in 2016 - VoteWatch Europe}}

In June 2017 Arnott published a document called 'Britain Beyond Brexit'{{cite web|url=http://www.jonathanarnott.co.uk/2017/06/britain-beyond-brexit/|title=Britain Beyond Brexit – Official Website of Jonathan Arnott MEP|website=www.jonathanarnott.co.uk|access-date=17 January 2018}} which sets out an alternative policy platform and vision for the future of UKIP. This document was a radical departure from the 2017 UKIP manifesto.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40042669|title=At-a-glance guide: UKIP manifesto|date=25 May 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=17 January 2018}}

In 2017 UKIP revealed a new 'integration agenda'{{Cite news|url=http://www.ukip.org/our_integration_agenda_aims_to_bring_communities_together|title=Our bold new integration agenda aims to bring communities together|work=UKIP|access-date=17 January 2018|archive-date=18 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118010938/http://www.ukip.org/our_integration_agenda_aims_to_bring_communities_together|url-status=dead}} which proposed the banning of Muslim face-coverings in public, disbanding Sharia councils and physical checks on young girls believed to be at risk of female genital mutilation.{{Cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/jonathan-arnott-quits-ukip-role-over-partys-anti-islam-stance-10910078|title=Jonathan Arnott quits UKIP role over party's 'anti-Islam' stance| last=Heffer| first=Greg| work=Sky News| publisher = Sky UK| date=9 June 2017| access-date=17 January 2018| quote=We have fundamentally failed to make the distinction between the vast majority of peace-loving Muslims, honest and good people, including those I am proud to call my friends, and the unutterable evil of the perversions of ISIS (Islamic State). Tough and robust policies to tackle extremism are absolutely right. The victimisation or demonisation of Muslims and Islam is not.}}

Arnott stated that he had watched recent events with "disappointment, bordering on despair"{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/11/ukip-party-anti-muslim|title=I had to quit my top job at Ukip – it's just bland and anti-Muslim| last=Arnott| first=Jonathan| date=11 June 2017| work=Comment is Free |location=London| publisher=Guardian Media Group| access-date=17 January 2018}} and warned that the party was heading in a "bland and anti-Muslim" direction. He said that "hardline anti-Islam nonsense" and the "crass" integration agenda made it very difficult for people to vote UKIP.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/JonathanArnott/status/873112576237817856|title=Let's be honest: hardline anti-Islam nonsense from some candidates & crass 'integration agenda' made it v.difficult for people to vote UKIP.|last=Arnott| first=Jonathan |date=9 June 2017|website=@JonathanArnott|access-date=17 January 2018}}

On 9 June he resigned as General Secretary and Constitutional Affairs spokesman.{{Cite news|url=http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2017-06-09/ukip-general-secretary-jonathan-arnott-resigns/|title=UKIP General Secretary Jonathan Arnott resigns|work=ITV News| publisher=ITV| access-date=17 January 2018}}

On 19 January 2018, Arnott announced his resignation from UKIP. In his resignation letter, he stated that he had lost confidence in UKIP leader Henry Bolton, who he felt was "not the right person for the job" - but thought no better of those "jockeying" for position in the party. He added that UKIP had "shifted" its stance on religious and cultural issues to a degree he could not support.

In April 2019, Arnott announced that he would not be standing for re-election as an MEP at the 2019 European Parliament elections, though he stated that he would be supporting the Brexit Party at that election.{{cite web |last1=Arnott |first1=Jonathan |title=Why I won't stand for re-election as an MEP |url=http://www.jonathanarnott.co.uk/2019/04/why-i-wont-stand-for-re-election-as-an-mep/ |website=Jonathan Arnott MEP |access-date=26 April 2019 |date=25 April 2019}}

Arnott is a chess enthusiast who is a Candidate Master,{{cite web|url=http://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=408077 |title=Arnott, Jonathan W FIDE Chess Profile - Players Arbiters Trainers |publisher=Ratings.fide.com |access-date=2 February 2014}} former member of the England Under-21 squad{{cite web|url=http://sasca.co.uk/coaching.html |title=Coaching |publisher=SASCA |access-date=2 February 2014}} and captained the Yorkshire county side from 2002 to 2004.{{cite web |url=http://whiterosechess.co.uk/players |title=Players |publisher=White Rose Chess |date=13 November 2010 |access-date=2 February 2014 |archive-date=25 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225005037/http://whiterosechess.co.uk/players/ |url-status=dead }} He regularly competes in the 4NCL international chess league{{cite web|url=http://www.4ncl.co.uk/team_captains.htm |title=Four Nations Chess League |publisher=4ncl.co.uk |date=22 November 2013 |access-date=2 February 2014}} and the Gibraltar International chess festival.{{cite web |author=S. Rottman, James Humphreys / Blue Pawn |url=http://www.gibraltarchesscongress.com/gib2011/whois.html |title=2011 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival: Competitors |publisher=Gibraltarchesscongress.com |date=19 January 2011 |access-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201141001/http://www.gibraltarchesscongress.com/gib2011/whois.html |archive-date=1 February 2014 |url-status=dead }} He represented White Rose in the European Club Cup in 2010 and 2011, with the team finishing as the top British side by 20 places in 2011.{{cite web |url=http://www.mattywebbchess.com/european-club-cup-2011-match-report-game-4/ |title=European Club Cup 2011 – Match Report Game 4 |website=www.mattywebbchess.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102124455/http://www.mattywebbchess.com/european-club-cup-2011-match-report-game-4/ |archive-date=2 November 2011 |url-status=dead}}[http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/malcolmpein/white-rose-are-uks-top-performers-in-the-european-club-cup ]{{dead link|date=July 2016}} His highest rating of 2191 was achieved in 2012{{cite web|url=http://ratings.fide.com/id.phtml?event=408077|title=ratings progress Chart Arnott, Jonathan W (ENG)

|work=World Chess Federation|access-date=17 August 2015}} and his rating of 2173 in July 2015 ranks him 169th in England and 12281 in the world.{{cite web|url=http://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=408077|title=FIDE chess profile Arnott, Jonathan W|work=World Chess Federation|access-date=17 August 2015}}

He has also represented Great Britain at the board game Stratego, helping the British team to the bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships.{{cite web |url=http://www.stratego.org.uk/ |title=British Stratego Association |publisher=Stratego.org.uk |access-date=2 February 2014 |archive-date=30 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530200144/http://www.stratego.org.uk/ |url-status=dead }} It was reported that he would be competing again in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/local-news/community-news-brief-tuesday-august-9832894 |title=Chronicle |publisher=www.chroniclelive.co.uk |date= 11 August 2015|access-date=17 August 2015}}

For the past 15 years, Arnott has been part of a team on Scunthorpe Hospital Radio, broadcasting the home games of Scunthorpe United.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/jonathan-arnott/3|title=Jonathan Arnott|work=Huffpost|access-date=24 March 2022}}

• {{cite book

| last = Arnott

| first = Jonathan

| title = Chess: Skills - Tactics - Techniques

| publisher = Crowood Press Ltd

| date = 12 May 2014

| isbn = 978-1847977052}}

• {{cite book

| last = Arnott

| first = Jonathan

| title = The Blueprint: Our Future After Brexit

| publisher = Vista Publishing

| date = 25 April 2016

| isbn = 978-0955809194}}

• {{cite book

| last = Arnott

| first = Jonathan

| title = How Politicians Are Ruining Brexit

| publisher = Steel City Press

| date = 14 January 2019

| isbn = 978-1913047009}}

{{Reflist}}

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• {{Official website|http://www.jonathanarnott.co.uk/}}

{{UKIP}}

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Category:1981 births

Category:Living people

Category:Politicians from Sheffield

Category:Alumni of the University of Sheffield

Category:Schoolteachers from Yorkshire

Category:UK Independence Party parliamentary candidates

Category:UK Independence Party MEPs

Category:MEPs for England 2014–2019

Category:Brexit Party MEPs

Category:British Eurosceptics

Category:Chess Candidate Masters

Category:English chess players