UKIP's new interim leader! Are you having a laugh?

Age begins to take its toll. UKIP Press Officer forgets to tell Jeffrey Titford that statues don't have the vote.

From the UKIP website:

Former UKIP Leader Jeffrey Titford has been appointed interim leader of the Party following the resignation of Lord Pearson of Rannoch.

Mr Titford, who last led the Party from 2000-2002, was asked to take the reins by the National Executive Committee at the meeting in Torquay on the eve of the annual conference.

A new Party Leader will be appointed following a full-fledged election later this year.

End of quote.

It is interesting to note there is nothing in UKIP's constitution that allows for the appointment of an interim leader.

So a 77 year old man - not in the best of physical or mental health - is appointed leader. Well, at least it keeps him from having to spend time with his wife!

Jeffrey Titford is a fine choice to lead a party riddled with corruption. His dishonesty and lies are well known to all honest UKIPPERS.

Here are a few facts:



The OLAF letter which confirms their interest in Mr Jeffrey Titford.

Ken Bennett - his former office manager - accused him of misusing his EU staffing allowances. This was later brought to the attention of OLAF. We understand that this case is still being investigated. OLAF number OF/2008/0764. Mr Bennett later received a threatening letter 'advising' him to keep his mouth shut. See: LINK

Titford previously “employed” at least one person who was in fact working for the Party in the North East, Stephen Allison, although this arrangement was hurriedly terminated about three years ago. This was an illegal use of his MEP allowances.

John West was thrown out of UKIP after trying to raise concerns about Titford.

Here is an extract from a statement he made after his expulsion:

My only crime was to report Jeffrey Titford to Essex Police based on the details of his former office manager, Ken Bennett, who told me of alleged financial irregularities involving Titford’s parliamentary allowance.

I was forced to do this after Nigel Farage - via a third party - refused my request for an internal investigation into the allegations that Titford had misused his parliamentary allowances. See: LINK & LINK & LINK

Titford misused the UKIP database to send out an email attacking both Mr West and Christopher Hudson for holding a UKIP conference on Law and Order. Complaints were made to the NEC about this. Nothing was done.

He blocked an attempt by Ian Gilman to open an investigation into allegations that Tom Wise was misusing his MEP allowances.

In October 2005, it was Mr Gilman - an NEC member – who attempted to persuade the NEC to launch an investigation into Tom Wise.

Titford chaired the meeting.

Mr Gillman secured an emergency item at the start of the NEC meeting and spent the next 20 minutes trying to convince the meeting that UKIP needed to launch an investigation. He also called for more financial transparency.

On three occasions he proposed the motion. Each time he failed to get a seconder.

Titford stated that as no person would second Gillman's motion the matter was now closed. No vote was necessary. Mr Gilman later resigned from the NEC in disgust.

See: LINK

However, Titford was very quick to appear in court to testify against his former friend, employee, and colleague. The UKIP website positively gloated over the two year sentence that the former MEP received. The party referred to a "secret" bank account, and the fact that Wise put money into the account that was intended for a researcher.

And so we find it most interesting that we have in our hands a piece of paper, a "Liste des decomptes" relating to MEPs assistant's payments, dated October 2002. It is a big document, there are lots of MEPs, and lots of money involved, but one entry positively leaps off of the page. It relates to Jeffrey Titford himself.

Jeffrey William Titford, it appears, paid his entire assistant's allowances - all 12,051,98 euros of it - in that month, into the bank account of...... a Mr Thomas Wise!

Over to you, Jeffrey! If Tom is such a crook, can you explain why you were the only MEP on this list paying his entire budget (and 12,051,98 is the absolute maximum allowable) into one person's account, and this person in particular? This man who you deride as a crook? You didn't complain when it was your money being looked after, did you? Interestingly, there is only one other MEP on the list, a Labour MEP, who claimed every last cent, but he paid all of it to his three assistants, who are named on the document.

Care to comment, Jeffrey?

Farage and Titford claimed to have sent large sums of money to the Metric Martyrs Fund. A quick check later proved this to be false. So what happened to the money?

Titford was heavily involved in the rigging of UKIP's MEP selection process:

UKIP South Essex was one of many branches to complain about this:

Mrs Janet L Davies
75 Barrymore Walk
Rayleigh
Essex
SS6 8YJ

19th June 2008

FAO Christopher Gill
UKIP Head Office

Dear Christopher

I wish to lodge a complaint regarding the interviewing of the prospective MEP candidates in the Eastern Counties. It has come to my attention that the true democratic process has possibly been violated. I was present at the last National Conference and was invited by Jeffrey Titford to attend a drinks session and witnessed (along with all present) Jeffrey announcing Stuart Gulleford as his successor? I was then and am now appalled he said that. I am aware that he did sit in at some of these interviews did he please sit in at Stuart’s. If this is in fact the case that was a conflict of interests and it should never have been the case.

I have also been told that Peter Reeve was one of the interviewers and I have been told that David Campbell-Bannerman said that if he was chosen then he would keep Peter as RO? This could be looked upon as Bribery!

I have been told that a man who cost our Party £18,000 due to neglect on his part as Party Treasurer has gone through. Indeed, if the Electoral Commission gets their way this amount will rise and that will be a major financial catastrophe for our Party.

I understand that John West and Alison West have failed to go through even though this couple have already proved that they are more than capable of doing a sterling job through research and organisation. In fact these two were our most popular choice among our branch and I believe also in other branches around the six-counties.

I would like to fully support the final choice of candidates but only if I think they got there by fair means.

Would you please report to me on whether I am correct that these interviews have not been conducted fairly? I would hate to think our Party is becoming corrupted.
I understand that the setting up of this Interview panel was far from democratic?

Yours truly,

Janet Davies

Treasurer/Membership
Secretary South Essex Branch

We understand that Gill never even acknowledged the letter.

These are just a few examples of this grubby little man's dishonesty. Titford is a joke leader for a joke party.

Our contacts tell us that Farage intends to announce his decision to run for the UKIP leadership at Friday's conference.

Also see: LINK