It is too early yet to tell how the UKIP MEPs elected this year will turn out. However we can take a look at the 13 MEPs that UKIP sent to Brussels in 2009. Over that parliament’s term the party lost 6 out of 13 MEPs and gained one. Of the UKIP 2004 intake two ended up in jail, Ashley Mote, convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence, described by the trial judge as “a truly dishonest man” and Tom Wise, charged with false accounting and money laundering and sentenced in November 2009 to a two-year term of imprisonment.
Stuart Agnew.
Marta Andreasan. Defected to the Conservative Party in February 2013
Gerard Batten.
Godfrey Bloom. Effectively kicked out of UKIP in September 2013 after he hit a journalist, Michael Crick and threatened another one, then at the UKIP conference he referred to his female audience as sluts. In November 2010, Bloom was ejected from the European Parliament after directing a Nazi slogan at German MEP. Bloom failed to declare his interest in his company, TBO, to European Parliament officials and in 2008 TBO was fined £28,000 by the Financial Services Authority for posing an “unacceptable risk” to customers. In July 2013, Bloom made a speech about Britain’s foreign aid in which he referred to countries as “Bongo Bongo Land”. At an Oxford Union debate in 2014 Bloom asked a disabled student who was speaking against him if he was Richard III.
John Bufton.
David Campbell-Bannerman. UKIP deputy leader from 2006 until 2010. Defected to the Conservative Party on 24 May 2011.
Derek Clark.
Trevor Colman. In March 2011 Mr Colman left the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group which includes UKIP, allegedly due to an “unresolved dispute over financial and staffing issues.”
William, Earl of Dartmouth.
Nigel Farage.
Mike Nattrass. Resigned from the UKIP in September 2013
Paul Nuttall.
Nikki Sinclaire. Resigned from the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) grouping in the European Parliament, to which UKIP belongs in January 2010. On 23 July 2014, she was charged with money laundering, contrary to Sections 327 or 329 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and misconduct in public office, contrary to Common Law, relating to European Parliament travel expenses, in a period between October 2009 and July 2010.
Roger Helmer. Elected as a Conservative but joined the UK Independence Party on 3 March 2012.
Pro rata if this had happened to a proper Westminster political party there would have been a constitutional crisis. Certainly it shows up fundemental problems in the party and its management. Already from the new intake we have seen a very embarassing racism incident from Janice Atkinson, which, on previous form, is hardly likely to be the last we hear from them. I cannot understand anyone voting for a party with a record like this which comes across as not very nice at all.
Thanks to all the sources I have plagiarised from, especially Wikipedia.