The DUP (and UUP) usually nominate the Tory candidate for President (in return DUP registered supporters get to vote in the Conservative primary). 2019 is no different so almost all the DUP's MPs will nominate May. The only time this has been called into question was during the 2014 Conservative Primary, where the DUP threatened to nominate Farage if Cameron won.
"The Commonwealth of Britain" - Republican UK Wikibox TL
- Thread starter powerab
- Start date
Anti Brexit campaigner won a notable legal case against the government OTL
The Queen actually killed Diana in this TL leading to a sharp decrease in public support for the monarchy
@Britannia238 is correct, ITTL it emerged that the Royal Family had Princess Diana Assasinated (I purposfully don't go into much detail and start out In medias res as it would be fairly ASB). This lead to a public outcry against the Monarchy and a Referendum leading to the Commonwealth.
2019, Part 4, The Board is Set
In a suprise move, former Chancellor Chuka Umunna was passed over for UfC's Presidental nomination
“Chuka Umunna has failed to become the Presidential nominee of the new United for Change party with businesswoman Heidi Allen chosen instead. The party's National Committee convened this afternoon to decide who would become the nominee for the cluster of outsiders. Mr Umunna had before made it clear that he was interested in becoming the nominee. He told Sky yesterday: "I'm clear I want to play the biggest role in this group. But, the party announced they had elected Allen as Presidential nominee. Over the weekend Senator Rebecca Long-Bailey accused Umunna of quitting the party because he knew he would never lead Labour. She said: "It was clear to me the reason he wanted to leave the Labour Party was that he knew he could never lead the Labour Party. This is about personality." Heidi Allen, the former Tory donor has already suggested she would name Mr Umunna as Prime Minister if she won the Presidential election.” - UfC elect presidential nominee, and it's NOT Chuka Umunna, Dan Falvey, The Express (2019)
United for Change announced its Presidential candidate, surprising many by picking millionaire businesswoman Heidi Allen. Allen, told journalists that the Presidential elections would be a "weathervane moment for the country". "It is a real opportunity," she said. "The country is crying out for someone to lead". She claimed there was enormous support for the party, but she did not underestimate the challenges involved. "This is David and Goliath stuff. We are starting out and building a party together." She said there was no squabbling over her appointment as Presidential candidate. She added it felt a "nice fit" for her to take the role alongside Chuka Umunna, who is acting as the Parliamentary Leader. Citing a lack of time and funds, the party declined to hold an open primary for registered supporters, Allen was instead chosen by the party's National Committee. In her nomination speech, Allen said: "If we are to deliver on our ambition to change politics for the better, it is vital that we attract support from people from every walk of life. I have seen with my own eyes how improved our political system would be if it harnessed the diverse skills of our country."
Allen was the only Presidental candidate not to be an elected offical
Many in the punditry were surprised Umunna was not named as the candidate, as a former Chancellor he was the most experienced and had the highest named recognition. However, United for Change was already seen as a vehicle for Umunna’s ego, and they didn’t want to be seen as a one-man band. Since they were unlikely to win a Presidential election anyway, Umunna’s position as Parliamentary Leader would be much more powerful considering the coalition's slim majority. Nonetheless, Allen was a strong choice, a former Conservative, she was socially liberal, fiscally Conservative, but most importantly rich, just starting out United for Change needed money more than anything, and Allen could provide just that. Headlines about her “not being a politician” were just an added bonus.
Anti-surveillance activists lost their hero, as Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was arrested after seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy. Assange took refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault case. At Westminster Magistrates' Court he was found guilty of failing to surrender to the court. Assange now faced US federal conspiracy charges related to one of the largest ever leaks of government secrets. Britain now had to decide whether to extradite Assange. He faced up to four years in US prison if convicted on the charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson said they would be fighting the extradition request. She said it set a precedent where any journalist could face US charges for "publishing truthful information about the US". She said she had visited Assange in the police cells where he thanked supporters and said: "I told you so." Assange had predicted that he would face extradition to the US if he left the embassy.
“WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said it was “a dark day for journalism.” The British government must now decide whether to grant the extradition request. If convicted, Assange could face up to four years in U.S. prison. Assange has long feared extradition to the U.S. to face allegations of leaking embarrassing top-secret U.S. documents. Some in the U.S. have called for Assange to face the death penalty. In April 2017, former U.S. Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein called his arrest a “priority.” Ecuadorean President Andrés Páez said he had “requested Britain to guarantee that Assange would not be extradited to a country where he could face the death penalty.” He said the British government had confirmed this in writing. Assange could also face renewed pressure to appear in Sweden. The lawyer for the Swedish victim said she was going to do everything possible “to get Assange extradited to Sweden and prosecuted for rape.” The activist’s friend Pamela Anderson, attacked the British government on Twitter for its actions.” - Julian Assange Found Guilty in British Court, Robert Mitchell, Variety Magazine (2019)
Assange's fate would split the coalition
Despite this, Assange was found guilty, and the decision to extradite fell to Home Secretary Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Tom Brake. The extradition case would take at least two years to get through the British court system. Home Secretary Keir Starmer took a hands-off approach to the Assange case, telling the public to “trust in the courts” and denouncing some supporters of Assange as “conspiracy theorists”. The Assange case threatened to crack the coaltiion even further, mere weeks after they lost their Senate majority, withthe Liberal Demcorats eager to see Assange face justice, especially for Swedish sexual assault charges, whilst the Greens wanted the Government to stand up to the US and keep Assange in Britain.
“This House condemns the on-going mistreatment and imprisonment of Julian Assange by Britain. This House believes that his treatment contravenes the principles envisaged under human rights standards. This House opposes any attempt to extradite Mr Assange to the United States, either from Britain or by onward extradition from Sweden. This House believes that his case has broader consequences for media freedoms, freedom of speech and civil liberties. This House calls on the Government to ensure that Mr Assange is released, and that his physical integrity is respected.” - Early Day Motion Submitted by Green Senator Shahrar Ali (2019)
The radical wing of the Greens would take part in pro-Assange ralies in central London
The UKIP psychodrama would finally come to an end as Nigel Farage announced he would be leaving the party, flanked by Bill Etheridge, leader of the Libertarians, fellow UKIP defectors Tim Aker, Jonathan Bullock, William Legge and Paul Nuttall, Labour MP Kate Hoey and four Tory MPs, Farage announced a new party the “Brexit Alliance”. Whilst they did not join the party, John Rees-Evans and Henry Bolton both confirmed they would support the Alliance in the Presidential election, and nominate Farage for the Presidency, with 16 MPs in the bag Farage now had a clear run at the Presidency. Speaking in Coventry, he said May's Presidential and Senate elections were the party's "first step" but its "first task" was to "change politics". "No more Mr Nice Guy and I mean it," he said. But UKIP dismissed the Brexit Party as a "vehicle" for Mr Farage. Farage said the Brexit Party had an "impressive list" of 14 MPs and 39 Senators. Among those revealed at the launch was Conservative MP Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Senator Jacob Rees-Mogg. Farage said: "This party is not here just to fight the Presidential election, this party is not just to express our anger - May 2nd is the first step. We will change politics for good." He said he was "angry, but this is not a negative emotion, this is a positive emotion". The party had already received £800,000 online in just one week, he said, made up of small donations of up to £400. Rees-Mogg said she had stuck with the Conservatives "through thick and thin", but added: "We've got to rescue our democracy. Farage told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "In policy, there's no difference (to UKIP), but in personnel there is a vast difference.
Right off the bat, a ComRes poll for the Presidential election had Farage polling on 16%. Whilst the launch damaged both parties, Theresa May’s campaign was hit particularly hard, the poll showing Miliband on 29%, May dropping eight points down to 19%, Heidi Allen on 12%, Cable on 10%, Batten on 8% and the Green candidate on 6%. As well as being within margin of error of Theresa May, projections showed Farage’s new Alliance winning as many as 75 seats in the Senate, the giant void in the heart of British politics finally had a voice, and that voice was Nigel Farage. Meanwhile the major parties were ruptured, both whips offices kicked into action trying to stem the bleeding and prevent any more defections.
"In 2017 I did what I have always done since I first got the vote fifty years ago, and put my cross by the Conservative candidate. In a couple of weeks, May 2nd will do what I have never done and cast my vote for a different party. Nay, I am going further than that: I am standing for the Brexit Alliance in order that I may convince my fellow voters. If I am elected to the Senate my message to Abbott and company will be very simple, very loud and very clear. Give us a referendum now. We’ve got the worst President ever. The worst Prime Minister since Anthony Eden. We’ve got the worst leader of the opposition in the entire history of the Conservative party. And we’ve got the worst Parliament since Oliver Cromwell. But we have a chance to elect Nigel Farage our President, take our country back and show the major parties we won't be taken for granted." - Former Senator Ann Widdecombe’s defection speech (2019)
The Former Senator was the most infamous Brexit Alliance defector
“Nigel Farage was the most influential British politician of the 2010s”, discuss. (30 Marks)” - A Level Politics Exam
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UKIP continues its favourite sport of splitting into more parties, I see.
Closer Look, 2019 Senate Diagram
Commonwealth Senate (as of April 2019)
Not pictured above - Senate Presiding Officer Nigel Evans
Miliband/Thornberry Government (139)
Confidence and Supply (26)
Offical Opposition (95)
Unoffical Opposition (99)
Not pictured above - Senate Presiding Officer Nigel Evans
Miliband/Thornberry Government (139)
- Labour Party - 86
- Liberal Democrats - 31
- Green Parties - 22
Confidence and Supply (26)
- Scottish National Party - 15
- Social Democratic and Labour Party - 5
- Plaid Cymru - 3
- Alliance Party of Northern Ireland - 3
Offical Opposition (95)
- Conservative and Unionist Party - 95
Unoffical Opposition (99)
- Brexit Alliance - 39
- UK Independence Party - 23
- Social Democratic Party - 11
- United for Change - 6
- Democratic Unionist Party - 6
- Sinn Fein - 6
- Ulster Unioinst Party - 5
- Independents - 2 (Douglas Carswell and Simon Danczuk)
- Traditional Unionist Voice - 1
Some more general questions about the political system here:
1. Not sure if this has been covered, but does Sinn Fein take their seats in the republican parliament? If not, what do they do once elected?
2. How exactly are powers divided between the President and the PM, and what would the setup be like if the Pres and PM were from opposing parties?
3. It's pretty clear the Senate is less powerful than the Commons, but how much power does it have to block the Commons? I'm assuming more than the old Lords had?
1. Not sure if this has been covered, but does Sinn Fein take their seats in the republican parliament? If not, what do they do once elected?
2. How exactly are powers divided between the President and the PM, and what would the setup be like if the Pres and PM were from opposing parties?
3. It's pretty clear the Senate is less powerful than the Commons, but how much power does it have to block the Commons? I'm assuming more than the old Lords had?
1. No Sinn Fein legislators still follow an abstentionist policy as taking their seats requires them to swear an oath to the Commonwealth of Britain and it's constitution which directly references Northern Ireland as a part of Britain. So they refused to swear the oath
2. The Commonwealth is a semi-presidential system, similar to France and Finland. The President's power varries, in periods where the President and the Prime Minister are from the same party, the President tends to be the de-facto senior partner due to their larger mandate, with the President and PM working closely together on a shared agenda day-to-day. When the Commonwealth enters a period of "cohabitation" where the two senior figures are from different parties, (such as between 2004-2008 and 2008-2014) the PM is the more senior figure, and the President is essentially limited to foregin policy and defence. The powers as written de-jure in the constitution are:
- The President handles foriegn affairs in cooperation with the cabinet, is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and has some appointive powers mostly limited to Foreign Policy (ambassadors, European Commissioners ect). The President also has the power to veto laws, returning them to Parliament for another reading, but this veto can be overturned by a simple majority. The President also appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, but all appointments must be approved by the Parliament and Senate.
- The Prime Minister acts as the Head of Government, ensuring the "smooth functinoing" of day-to-day administration, such as proposing new legislation to the Parliament, writing the annual budget ect. The Prime Minister also "advices" the President on cabinet appointments.
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This is a very minor thing, but Finland hasn't been a semi-presidential republic since 2000. It's now a parliamentary republic, like most of Europe.
2019 Progressive Alliance Primary
The close friendship between Nicola Sturgeon and Caroline Lucas helped faciliate the Progressive Alliance
“The SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party have reformed a presidential pact, agreeing not to field a joint candidate in May's election. Chair of the SNP Gil Paterson said it was "an opportunity to tip the balance of power". The Progressive Alliance, originally formed in 2014 to support Natalie Bennett's bid to become President, was dissolved later that year, but it has been revived for 2019. The three parties all support reducing carbon emissions and keeping Britain in the EU. Plaid MP Alun Jones said the group had approached Labour about a joint left-wing candidate but "they said no''. In a speech earlier, Miliband's campaign chair, Manchester Mayor Tony Lloyd, said: "We will never enter pacts like that - ever." "We are delighted that an agreement has been reached," said Green Parliamentary Leader Amelia Womack. "This is a significant moment for all people who want to support progress across the country."” - Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru agree to pact, BBC News (2019)
After four years of working together, the Progressive Alliance for the Presidency made up of the Greens, the SNP, Plaid and other environmentalist and regionalist parties was reformed. Some had believed that with the nomination threshold lowered to just 13 MPs the Greens and SNP would go their own way, however the parties saw the wisdom in working together and decided to keep holding joint primaries and nominating a joint candidate. Standing outside Sheffield Town Hall, the leaders of the half-dozen parties made the “Sheffield Declaration” opening the primary up to anyone who would sign a charter stating their “progressive values”.
All candidates and parties were recquired to sign up to the "Progressive Charter"
Comedian and actor Russell Brand had burst onto the political stage in the mid 2010s with his YouTube channel “Trews”, an alternative to the mainly right-leaning British press. Since then Brand had grown his political profile, becoming a well-known campaigner against austerity. He had endorsed the Bennett/Salmond campaign back in 2014 and since then had grown even closer to the Greens. Brand announced his Presidential bid in his home town of Thurrock, one of the only places in the country to have a Brexit Alliance council. Brand pitched that the Progressives needed to appeal to areas like Essex, to become a true anti-austerity, anti-establishment campaign, and with thousands of pounds and millions of followers, Brand had a strong start to his bid.
“I bet the Tolpuddle martyrs, who marched for fair pay for agricultural workers, were a right bunch of herberts if you knew them. “Thugs, yobs, hooligans,” the Daily Mail would’ve called them. Our young people need to know there is a culture, a strong, broad union, that they can belong to, that is potent, virile and alive. Now when politicians pilfer and pillage our land and money for their oligarch mates take to the streets - together, with the understanding that the feeling that you aren’t being heard or seen is government policy. But we are far from apathetic, we are far from impotent. I take great courage from the groaning effort required to keep us down. Propaganda, police, media, lies. Now is the time to continue the great legacy of the left, in harmony with its implicit spiritual principles. Time may only be a human concept and thus unreal, but what is real is that this is the time for us to wake up. The revolution of consciousness is a decision, decisions take a moment. In my mind, the revolution has already begun.” - Brand’s announcement speech in Thurrock (2019)
Brand wasn’t the only independent to make a bid for the Alliance’s nomination, neither was he the most radical, as Extinction Rebellion founder Roger Hallam announced he would be making a bid for the Presidency. Hallam announced his bid in his typical civil disobedient way, spraying “divest from oil and gas! Roger for President!” onto King College London’s Strand campus. As he made his announcement speech in front of the graffiti he was escorted off-site halfway through by the university's security. Hallam’s campaign by far was the most extreme, pledging to scrap the British Government and replacing it with citizens assemblies and making Britain completely carbon neutral by 2024.
Hallam represented the radical protest groups that had turned on the Greens
Meanwhile, in the Greens, the division was once again between its radical and liberal wings. The question of the coalition loomed large with many Green supporters. For the establishment pro-coalition wing ran Jonathan Bartley, the Green’s Environment Secretary. Bartley was a big supporter of the coalition, of all the candidates he polled the best, being slick and polished, and Bartley made his electability a large part of his campaign. On the other hand Amelia Womack ran for the most coalition-sceptical wing of the Greens. Whilst she was serving in the coalition as Business Secretary, she had won plaudits by resigning from the Cabinet back in 2017. Womack promised to unite the Alliance’s disparate wings together, saying she would bring the Alliance closer to power without compromising on principles.
In the SNP, Scottish Premier Nicola Sturgeon made a point of ruling out a bid early on, with the Salmond trial and the coalition on the verge of collapse, Sturgeon had enough to deal with at home, besides, her allies feared a Presidential bid could be used agaisnt her by her internal opponents. Instead, the SNP’s establishment Sturgeonites settled on former First Minister Derek MacKay, willey, able and energetic, MacKay quickly received the backing of senior SNP figures, including Sturgeon, Senate President John Swinney and Deputy Premier Humza Yousaf, as well as the support of Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price.
"MSPs across the political aisle agree Mackay did a good job as First Minister. Members of his own tribe also believe he is a serious contender to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish Premier and party leader, should a vacancy arise. Mackay, Deputy Premier Humza Yousaf and Senator Jeane Freeman are tipped as possible leaders. A senior SNP source said Yousaf is better presentationally than Mackay, but the Finance chief is savvier. Mackay has come a long way since his wilder days as a pro-indy ultra who was viewed as a trouble maker by the gradualists. As he prepares his Presidential bid, it would be foolish to assume he has reached the summit of his ambitions." - Derek Mackay: the ex 'fundie' tipped as the next SNP leader, Paul Hutcheon, The Herald (2019)
MacKay was Sturgeon's prefered successor as Scottish Premier and SNP Leader
The SNP’s Salmondites weren’t going to sit and watch a Strugeonite coronation, controversial Senator Joanna Cherry, a key ally of Salmond, threw her hat into the ring. A rising star, known for her combative nature and high ambitions, Cherry’s candidacy against Sturgeon’s favoured son was a real blow to the Premier’s authority. Cherry said she would use a Presidential bid to draw attention to Scotland’s need for independence, and would work “night and day” to secure a referendum.
Cherry was the candidate of the SNP referendum "fundamentalists"
Unlike other Presidential primaries, the Progressive Primary was incredibly short, only a few weeks. This particularly benefited Brand and Bartley. Brand had his own personal fortune as well as a global name recognition to help his campaign get off the ground early. Bartley meanwhile had the backing of the Green establishment, and his high profile role as Environment Minister. The campaign quickly became a three-horse race between Bartley, Brand and MacKay, as more insurgent candidates like Cherry and Hallam struggled to break through, drowned out by the noise of Brand’s massive crowds.
Womack particularly struggled to keep her campaign above water, she was used to being the most radical candidate on the pitch, but with Brand and Hallam poaching left-wing voters, and MacKay and Bartley winning their party establishments with their electability message, Womack was caught in the squeezed middle. Many Greens remembered her disastrous leadership in the 2017 election, where she lost almost 40% of the party’s parliamentary caucus. Womack’s campaign was stuck in the mud as Brand and Bartley stormed ahead in the polls.
After a lightning-fast campaign, the progressives met in Stoke to unveil their Presidential candidate. Whatever the result it was expected to be extremely close, polls had Brand, Bartley and MacKay neck and neck with any of the three men expected to take the crown. The press had shown an unusual level of interest in the primary, possibly due to the novel presence of Russel Brand. As the Alliance’s national Chairwoman, Britta Goodman, took to the stage the cameras began to snap.
By just 30,000 votes Bartley had won the nomination, many in the Alliance breathed a sigh of relief that they had avoided a Brand nomination, but many younger people in the audience were bitterly disappointed. Joanna Cherry too had put in a strong performance, alongside the three leading candidates she was within the margin of error of winning the first round, much to the concern of Nicola Sturgeon Cherry had come just a few votes behind MacKay. Now with such a narrow victory Bartley took to the stage, to try and unite his fractured alliance, and take the fight to the main parties.
“We must do what science demands not what is deemed politically possible. It’s easy to fear the future. Our century is only 19 years old, but already we have seen 17 of the hottest years ever recorded. Fires rage from the Amazon to the Arctic, and democracy is under attack. But the night is always darkest before dawn. Progressives don’t fear the future. We welcome the future. Because we have the way and will. Taking decisive action to address the climate emergency isn’t just about averting disaster. It’s about creating a brand new Britain. Forget austerity. Forget worshipping GDP. Forget pointless and bloody foreign wars. Forget fracking, coal, and oil. Forget working longer hours for lower pay. Forget air so toxic it chokes you to death. This can be a new start. The best days of Britain can still be ahead of us. We need a decisive break from business as usual, and we are ready to make the leap. The Progressive Alliance has always been on the right side of history. The time is now to shape our future. Thank you.” - Jonathan Bartley victory speech (2019)
To what extent did Russell Brand's 2019 Presidental bid represent a "celebrification" of poltics? (30 Marks) - A Level Politics Exam
Well, at least Brand didn't end up as the candidate. Can't say I like him all that much.
Closer Look, 2019 Brexit Alliance Vice-Presidental Selection
Farage didn't want his Presidnetal bid to be UKIP 2.0, he knew the brand was now toxic, he wanted his campaign to be one that could reach out to Conservatives and other non-UKIP voters. Farage gave his aides clear instructions, he wanted an outsider figure for his running mate, preferably someone in TV or business, and he wanted someone who could attract money and headlines. Most importantly, Farage wanted someone who would embarass the campaign, or overshadow him as the man at the top of the Brexit Alliance ticket.
From an inital longlist of 20 including Wetherspoons founder Tim Martin and Comedian Pat Condell, Farage's campaign formed a shortlist of five candidates. Of the list two; Bullock and Gill, were refugees from UKIP, two; Tice and Widdecombe were former Tories and finally there was David Bull, Farage's friend and a TV presenter. Bullock was dismissed by Farage fairly early on, whilst he was loyal, he spent five years as a Senator and four years before that as an MP, he had no national profile and was just a generic UKIP refugee. Widdecombe was also a tempting prospect, she was by far the most experienced of the candidates, but some of her statements in the Senate were too toxic, even for Farage, and chosing a lifelong Tory and former Shadow Cabinet member was hardly breaking the political mould.
Of the remaining three who went through extreme vetting, Farage initally favoured Bull, a well known television personality, Bull would bring headlines and media connections and performed well on camera. Bull was also an openly gay man, something Farage hoped to use to deflect accusations of bigotry. Unfortunatly for Bull he had made several major gaffes that concerned Farage's aides. Bull had compared coming out as a Conservative voters to the discrimination of coming out as LGBT and he had written a book on teenage sex preaching abstenince, fearing negative headlines over the horizon, Bull was dropped from consideration.
This left two candidates: Nathan Gill, the young Welshman who had followed Farage in defecting from UKIP, or Richard Tice, the millionare businessman and former Tory MP. Gill was the more traditional candidate, he would bring regional balance by being from Wales and he had a relatively high profile from when he ran for Premier of Wales. Tice meanwhile had only just become an MP by the skin of his teeth in 2017, Tice had placed 29th on the Tories' Anglia list in 2017, luckily for him, the Tories had won exactly 29 seats. On the other hand, Farage wanted to ensure the loyalty of Tice's block of Tory defectors, Tice would also bring his vast personal fortune to the campaign, in the end, Farage settled on Tice.
From an inital longlist of 20 including Wetherspoons founder Tim Martin and Comedian Pat Condell, Farage's campaign formed a shortlist of five candidates. Of the list two; Bullock and Gill, were refugees from UKIP, two; Tice and Widdecombe were former Tories and finally there was David Bull, Farage's friend and a TV presenter. Bullock was dismissed by Farage fairly early on, whilst he was loyal, he spent five years as a Senator and four years before that as an MP, he had no national profile and was just a generic UKIP refugee. Widdecombe was also a tempting prospect, she was by far the most experienced of the candidates, but some of her statements in the Senate were too toxic, even for Farage, and chosing a lifelong Tory and former Shadow Cabinet member was hardly breaking the political mould.
Of the remaining three who went through extreme vetting, Farage initally favoured Bull, a well known television personality, Bull would bring headlines and media connections and performed well on camera. Bull was also an openly gay man, something Farage hoped to use to deflect accusations of bigotry. Unfortunatly for Bull he had made several major gaffes that concerned Farage's aides. Bull had compared coming out as a Conservative voters to the discrimination of coming out as LGBT and he had written a book on teenage sex preaching abstenince, fearing negative headlines over the horizon, Bull was dropped from consideration.
This left two candidates: Nathan Gill, the young Welshman who had followed Farage in defecting from UKIP, or Richard Tice, the millionare businessman and former Tory MP. Gill was the more traditional candidate, he would bring regional balance by being from Wales and he had a relatively high profile from when he ran for Premier of Wales. Tice meanwhile had only just become an MP by the skin of his teeth in 2017, Tice had placed 29th on the Tories' Anglia list in 2017, luckily for him, the Tories had won exactly 29 seats. On the other hand, Farage wanted to ensure the loyalty of Tice's block of Tory defectors, Tice would also bring his vast personal fortune to the campaign, in the end, Farage settled on Tice.
Having Farage wanting nothing to do with UKIP is like John Cleese pretending he hasn't heard talking about Monty Python, methinks.
There's a reason that of the 20 UKIP MEPs who defected to the Brexit Party, only two were picked to stand again in 2019. For all his faults Farage realised he needed to get as far away from team purple as possible.
I agree. I just wonder if the British voters are going to fall into that.