Neil Hamilton (politician)
British politician from Wales, UKIP leader / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mostyn Neil Hamilton (born 9 March 1949) is a British politician and former barrister who was leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2020 to 2024. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton from 1983 to 1997 and a UKIP Member of the Senedd (MS) for Mid and West Wales from 2016 to 2021.
Neil Hamilton | |
---|---|
Leader of the UK Independence Party | |
In office 12 September 2020[lower-alpha 1] – 13 May 2024 | |
Deputy | Rebecca Jane |
Preceded by | Freddy Vachha |
Succeeded by | Lois Perry |
Leader of UKIP Wales | |
In office 26 September 2016 – 13 April 2024 | |
Leader | List
|
Preceded by | Nathan Gill |
Succeeded by | Stan Robinson |
Leader of the UK Independence Party in the Senedd | |
In office 7 November 2019 – 29 April 2021 | |
Preceded by | Gareth Bennett |
Succeeded by | Office abolished |
In office 11 May 2016 – 17 May 2018 | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Caroline Jones |
Deputy Chair of the UK Independence Party | |
In office 4 August 2014 – 24 February 2016 | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | The Earl of Dartmouth |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs | |
In office 14 April 1992 – 25 October 1994 | |
Prime Minister | John Major |
Preceded by | John Redwood |
Succeeded by | Jonathan Evans |
Member of Parliament for Tatton | |
In office 9 June 1983 – 8 April 1997 | |
Preceded by | Constituency created |
Succeeded by | Martin Bell |
Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales | |
In office 5 May 2016 – 29 April 2021 | |
Preceded by | William Powell |
Succeeded by | Jane Dodds |
Personal details | |
Born | Mostyn Neil Hamilton (1949-03-09) 9 March 1949 (age 75) Bedwellty, Caerphilly, Wales |
Political party | UK Independence Party (2002–present) Conservative (1964–2002) |
Spouse | |
Residence(s) | London, England Wiltshire, England |
Alma mater | Aberystwyth University (BScEcon, MScEcon) Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (LL.M)[1] |
Profession | Barrister |
Website | Official website |
Hamilton was elected to the House of Commons in the 1983 general election. He was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs by Prime Minister John Major in 1992.
In 1994, The Guardian alleged that Hamilton had taken cash payments in exchange for asking questions in Parliament. Hamilton sued The Guardian for libel, but settled on the day of the trial. The Guardian published a headline branding him "A Liar and a Cheat". The cash-for-questions affair enquiry in 1997 found that Hamilton had taken bribes. He subsequently lost a libel case on the matter. Hamilton became widely associated with sleaze,[2] and was forced to resign his ministerial role. He was defeated by an independent candidate, Martin Bell, in the 1997 general election.
He left the Conservative Party in 2002 and joined UKIP. In 2011, he returned to politics and was elected to the National Executive Committee of UKIP. Following his election to the National Assembly for Wales, he was UKIP Assembly Group Leader from 2016 to 2018 and again from 2019 to 2021. He became leader of UKIP Wales in 2016. In September 2020, Hamilton was named acting leader of UKIP, following the suspension from the party of the previous leader, Freddy Vachha. Hamilton was defeated at the 2021 Senedd election. In October 2021, Hamilton was elected UKIP leader.[3]