Gerard Batten - Former Member of the European Parliament for London | Reform Watch

Profile and accountability tracker for Gerard Batten, Former Member of the European Parliament for London. UK Independence Party.

Role: Former Member of the European Parliament for London

Party: UK Independence Party

Gerard Batten is a British politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament for London from 2004 to 2019 and led the UK Independence Party from 2018 to 2019. During his leadership, UKIP adopted a more overtly anti-Islamic stance, and reputable reporting described internal departures and disagreements over the party’s direction.

Recorded incidents (showing 1-1 of 1)

Gerard Batten forged ties with far-right activist Tommy Robinson

Category: hate speech

Gerard Batten forged close ties between the party and far-right activist Tommy Robinson and redirected the party’s public messaging to focus on criticising Islam. He promoted an agenda that foregrounded opposition to Islam within party communications and strategy. The change in direction provoked internal disagreement within the party. The move prompted a wave of resignations from senior figures, including Nigel Farage, and accelerated an exodus of party representatives, leaving only a small number of MEPs still affiliated. Batten’s alignment with Robinson was criticised for associating the party with the far right and damaging its broader electoral appeal. The reported consequence was a sustained decline in the party’s parliamentary representation following the shift.