Mike Nattrass
{{Short description|British politician (born 1945)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Mike Nattrass
|honorific-suffix = FRICS
|party = Independence from Europe (2013–2017)
|otherparty = UK Independence Party (1998–2013)
|image = Mike Nattrass.jpg
|image_size = 220px
|office = Leader of Independence from Europe
|term_start = October 2013
|term_end = 2 November 2017
|predecessor = Party founded
|successor = Party abolished
|office1 = Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party
|term_start1 = 5 October 2002
|term_end1 = 27 September 2006
|leader1 = Roger Knapman
|predecessor1 = Graham Booth
|successor1 = David Campbell-Bannerman
|office2 = Chair of the UK Independence Party
|term_start2 = 22 January 2000
|term_end2 = 5 October 2002
|leader2 = Jeffrey Titford
|predecessor2 = Nigel Farage
|successor2 = David Lott
|constituency_MP3 = the West Midlands
|term_start3 = 10 June 2004
|term_end3 = 2 July 2014
|parliament3 = European
|predecessor3 = John Corrie
|successor3 = Jill Seymour
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1945|12|14|df=y}}
|birth_place = Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
|death_date =
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|nationality = British
|spouse =
|relations =
|children =
|residence =
|alma_mater =
|occupation =
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|religion =
|signature =
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|footnotes =
}}
Michael Henry Nattrass (born 14 December 1945) is a British politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands constituency, from 2004 to 2014. He was elected as a candidate for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) for the first time in June 2004 and re-elected in June 2009, but resigned from the party in September 2013. He lost his seat in the May 2014 election.
Political career
In 1994, Nattrass joined the New Britain Party, whose candidates were absorbed into the Referendum Party in 1997. Standing in Solihull, he gained the highest vote in the West Midlands for the Referendum Party at the 1997 general election (4.7%).{{cite web|url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/election.html|title=United Kingdom Election Results|website=www.election.demon.co.uk}} In 1998, he accepted an invitation to join UKIP from its leader Michael Holmes and sat on the UKIP National Executive Committee. In 2000 he became Party Chairman under Leader Jeffrey Titford and from 2002 to 2006 he was Deputy Leader under Roger Knapman.
Nattrass stood unsuccessfully in many parliamentary general elections and by-elections representing UKIP, including Sutton Coldfield in 2001 (finishing fourth of five with 2.7%),{{cite web |title=Vote 2001: Sutton Coldfield |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/564.stm |website=BBC News |access-date=27 July 2023}} the May 2008 Crewe and Nantwich by-election (fourth of ten, with 2.2%),{{cite web |title=Crewe and Nantwich constituency |url=https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/voting_and_elections/elections/parliamentary-general-elections/crewe-and-nantwich-constituency.aspx |website=Cheshire East Council |access-date=27 July 2023}} and South Staffordshire in 2010 (fourth of six with 5.5%).{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/election2010/results/constituency/e20.stm|title=BBC News - Election 2010 - Constituency - Staffordshire South|website=BBC News}}
He was elected to the European Parliament in 2004, one of 12 seats won by UKIP, with 16.1% of the vote. Nattrass was re-elected in West Midlands in June 2009.
Nattrass failed a candidate assessment test in August 2013 and was deselected by the party for the 2014 European election.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-23852962 |title=Mike Nattrass: West Midlands MEP 'failed' selection for UKIP |publisher=BBC News |date=27 August 2013 |access-date=7 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116065904/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-23852962 |archive-date=16 November 2006 |url-status=dead }} He took the party to court over the decision, but lost. He said he was considering standing as an independent at the next election.{{cite web |author=Jonathan Walker |publisher=Birmingham Mail |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/ukip-mep-mike-nattrass-loses-5798307 |title=UKIP MEP Mike Nattrass loses selection battle |date=29 August 2013 |access-date=29 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116065904/http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/ukip-mep-mike-nattrass-loses-5798307 |archive-date=16 November 2006 |url-status=dead }} He left UKIP in September 2013.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24074756 |title=West Midlands UKIP MEP Mike Nattrass quits party |publisher=BBC News |date=12 September 2013 |access-date=29 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116065904/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24074756 |archive-date=16 November 2006 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/news/ukip-mep-west-midlands-nigel-farage-mike-nattrass-resigns |title=Ukip a 'totalitarian party,' says resigning MEP |publisher=Channel 4 News |date=12 September 2013 |access-date=29 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116065904/http://www.channel4.com/news/ukip-mep-west-midlands-nigel-farage-mike-nattrass-resigns |archive-date=16 November 2006 |url-status=dead }}
Nattrass was in talks with the English Democrats about the possibility of joining them, and agreed to speak at their September 2013 conference, but he chose not to after the party prematurely claimed he was joining them,{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24160712 |title=Mike Nattrass denies joining English Democrats after UKIP exit |publisher=BBC News |date=19 September 2013 |access-date=29 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116065904/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24160712 |archive-date=16 November 2006 |url-status=dead }} citing concerns about elements in the party.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24354411 |author=Justin Parkinson |publisher=BBC News |date=1 October 2013 |title=Ex-UKIP man dismisses English Democrats 'deal' claim |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116065904/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24354411 |archive-date=16 November 2006 |url-status=dead }} In November 2013, Nattrass announced the creation of his new party, called An Independence Party.{{cite web|url=http://www.aipmep.org |title=Independence From Europe |publisher=Aipmep.org |access-date=21 July 2016}} At the 2014 European election, the party stood as Independence from Europe but failed to win any seats.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Mike Nattrass}}
- {{Official website|http://www.aipmep.org/}}
- [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/28506/Mike_NATTRASS.html Profile at European Parliament website]
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{{succession box|title=Chairman of the UK Independence Party|before=Nigel Farage|after=David Lott|years=2000–2002}}
{{Succession box|title=Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party|before=Graham Booth|after=David Campbell-Bannerman|years=2002–2006}}
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Category:Referendum Party politicians
Category:Politicians from Leeds
Category:MEPs for England 2004–2009
Category:MEPs for England 2009–2014
Category:UK Independence Party MEPs
Category:Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom