Heritage Party (UK)
Political party in the United Kingdom
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The Heritage Party is a far-right political party in the United Kingdom, founded in October 2020 when then-London Assembly Member David Kurten left the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to form the party.[1] Kurten was also a member of the Brexit Alliance, a Eurosceptic technical group he formed in 2018 with fellow former UKIP member Peter Whittle.
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Heritage Party | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leader | David Kurten |
| Founder | David Kurten |
| Founded | 21 October 2020 |
| Split from | UK Independence Party |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Slogan | "Freedom, Family, Nation" |
| Website | |
| heritageparty | |
History
In January 2020, Kurten announced he would be running as an independent candidate in the upcoming London mayoral and London Assembly elections (then scheduled for May 2020, but both elections were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[2] Kurten founded the Heritage Party, and it was registered with the Electoral Commission that October.[3][4]
In December 2020, Kurten rejected a COVID-19 vaccine, for which he was denounced by Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey, who saw this as irresponsible for an elected politician.[5] Lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic in the United Kingdom were condemned by Kurten.[6]
In March 2025, the party gained representation in local government, when Becki Bruneau, a Kent County Councillor for Tunbridge Wells, defected from the Conservatives.[7][8][9]
Elections
Parliamentary by-elections
The party has stood in eight by-elections so far:
| By-election | Candidate | Votes | Turnout | Percentage | Place | Candidates | Notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Hartlepool by-election | Claire Martin | 468 | 29,933 | 1.6 | 4th | 16 | ||
| 2021 Batley and Spen by-election | Susan Laird | 33 | 37,786 | 0.1 | 16th | 16 | ||
| 2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election | David Kurten | 116 | 21,733 | 0.5 | 9th | 11 | ||
| 2021 North Shropshire by-election | James Elliot | 79 | 38,093 | 0.2 | 10th | 14 | ||
| 2022 Southend West by-election | Ben Downton | 236 | 15,942 | 1.6 | 6th | 9 | Held due to the murder of previous MP David Amess on 15 October 2021. The major parties thus did not stand. | [10] |
| 2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election | Jordan Donoghue-Morgan | 167 | 42,707 | 0.4 | 7th | 8 | [11] | |
| 2023 Selby and Ainsty by-election | Guy Phoenix | 162 | 35,886 | 0.5 | 10th | 13 | [12] | |
| 2023 Mid Bedfordshire by-election | Alberto Thomas | 63 | 40,720 | 0.5 | 11th | 13 |
2021 elections
May 2021 London elections
Kurten came 15th in the 2021 London mayoral election with 0.4% of the vote. Heritage came 13th in the Assembly election with 0.5% of the vote. In addition to his Mayoral loss, Kurten lost his seat in the Assembly (to which he had been elected second on the UKIP list at the 2016 election).
London Assembly
| Election | Votes | Share of votes | Seats | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13,534 | 0.52% | 0 / 25 |
#13 |
2022 Northern Ireland Assembly
| Election | First Preference Vote | Share of votes | Seats | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 128 | 0.0% | 0 / 90 |
#16 |
2023 UK local elections
| Council | Candidates | Elected | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole[13] | 1 / 76 |
0 / 76 |
181 | 0.1 |
| Tonbridge and Malling[14] | 1 / 44 |
0 / 44 |
77 | 0.1 |
| South Staffordshire[15] | 1 / 42 |
0 / 42 |
86 | 0.4 |
2024 elections
UK local elections
| Council | Candidates | Elected | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Oxfordshire[16] | 1 / 17 |
0 / 17 |
99 | 0.1 |
London Assembly
| Election | Votes | Share of votes | Seats | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,431 | 0.18% | 0 / 25 |
#14 |
General election
The party's candidates stood in 41 constituencies in the 2024 United Kingdom general election on 4 July 2024: 34 in England, 1 in Scotland, 6 in Wales.[17] These candidates received a total of 6,597 votes, and none of them were elected.[18]
| Election year | Leader | # of total votes | % of overall vote | Candidates | # of seats won | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | David Kurten | 6,597  |
0.0% |
41 / 650 |
0 / 650  |
No seats |
2026 elections
The Heritage Party are standing 18 candidates across 13 local authorities in England's local elections, 4 candidates in the South Scotland electoral region for the Scottish parliamentary election and 1 candidate in every Senedd constituency (with 2 in Afan Ogwr Rhondda) for the Senedd election.[19]