Ukip chief executive Will Gilpin steps down
Ukip’s chief executive, who was tasked with making the party look more professional, has stepped down from his role “by mutual consent” after eight months in the job.
Will Gilpin, an ex-RAF fighter pilot, was appointed in December to oversee Ukip’s press, internet and social media work. A spokesman for the party said Mr Gilpin’s rolling contract with the party would not be continued.
Party sources said Mr Gilpin was hoping to return to corporate IT, something they said he is “far better suited to”. According to the BBC, the party suggested Mr Gilpin had struggled to adapt to working at a smaller organisation whose “DNA is individualistic”.
A UKIP spokesman told the BBC: “We thank him for his time, effort and the hard work he has put in and wish him all the best for the future.”
Polling surge
Ukip has enjoyed a surge in popularity over the past year, and is now the third most popular party in the UK, according to polls.
The latest YouGov poll suggests Ukip garners 14 per cent of the public support, ahead of the Liberal Democrats’ 10 per cent, and behind Labour at 38 per cent and the Conservatives at 31 per cent.
A ComRes poll for the Independent and Sunday and the Sunday Mirror suggests Ukip has 19 per cent of the vote compared with Labour on 37 per cent, the Conservatives on 28 per cent, and the Liberal Democrats on 8 per cent.
Media spotlight
One of the key issues for the party will be how it copes with the increased media spotlight. This month that spotlight has turned on two of Ukip’s members.
On 5 August it emerged that Ukip candidate Dean Perks gave a speech endorsing Sharia law, saying that if someone faced the threat of getting their hands cut off, they wouldn’t steal. He said his words were twisted by political opponents.
This was followed two days later by comments from Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom, who said foreign aid money was going to “bongo bongo land”.
Mr Bloom cut off an interview with Channel 4 News Presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy after he was grilled over whether the term was racist. In an interview with Cathy Newman, Ukip leader Nigel Farage suggested that his party comes under more media scrutiny than others.
An article on the Ukip website accused Channel 4 News of joining the “media bandwagon”.