Britain could today get its first far-right leader of a mainstream political party in generations as Ukip gets ready to announce its new boss.
Anne Marie Waters, who has branded Islam ‘evil’ and worked with ex activists from the BNP and English Defence League, is the bookies favourite to win.
The 40 year-old has described Islam as a ‘killing machine’, called for a freeze on immigration and demanded mosques are shut down.
But her strident views have sparked horror among many of her party colleagues and could see the Ukip split for good.
Many in Ukip fear she will turn it into a BNP-style party, and 18 of the party’s 20 MEPs and several senior party figures have said they will quit in disgust if she is elected.
Meanwhile, there were angry scenes outside the party conference as protesters chanted and argued with Ukip delegates.
They accused the party of fueling hate by inviting a member of the far right German AFD party to address their conference.
Anne Marie Waters, pictured at an anti-Islam rally in London last year, is the favourite to be elected the new Ukip leader today in a move which could see the party split for good
Ukip interim leader Steve Crowther unveils the proposed new Ukip logo. But observers were quick to point out it bears a striking resemblance to the Premier League logo, and the top flight footballing division is consulting their lawyers over it
A Ukip supporter waves the union jack as she arrives at the party conference in Torquay. Meanwhile in the conference centre an array of anti-EU propaganda was on display, including a pic (right) of Eurocrat Guy Verhofstadt
Leaflets warning of a ‘Brexit betrayal’ and taking a swipe at the arch Europhile Tony Blair were being dished out at the party conference
Nigel Farage said Ukip will be ‘finished’ if it becomes an anti-Islam party, although he has denied reports he is planning launch a new Brexit party as soon as Monday if Ms Waters wins.
Ms Waters runs Sharia Watch UK and set up a British branch of the German extreme Pegida group with Tommy Robinson – the former leader of the English Defence League.
PREMIER LEAGUE CONSULTING THEIR LAWYERS AMID CLAIMS UKIP STOLE THEIR LOGO
Ukip’s proposed new logo has been mocked for looking like the Premier Leagues
The Premier League are consulting their lawyers amid claims Ukip ‘stole’ their new lion logo from the division.
The party today unveiled proposals to re-brand itself by adopting the new logo which has a purple sketch of a lion’s head.
But observers – including former footballer Gary Linekar – were quick to point out the logo bears a striking resemblance to the one already used by the Premier League.
And the Mail Online has learned that the Premier League’s lawyers are looking at the issue.
But a Ukip spokesman insisted they have checked he logo does no infringe copyright telling reporters ‘We are not that stupid’.
And she has reportedly got the former BNP member Jack Buckby to help run her campaign.
Mr Bucky sparked outrage in murdered MP Jo Cox’s Batley and Spen constituency when he stood for election claiming ‘more interested in solidarity with Palestinian people than gang rape’ by Asian men.
Her strident anti-Islam views have placed her on the fringes of Ukip, and she is the most extreme leader of a major political party in Britain in generations.
Many leading figures in Ukip have urged for her to be blocked from standing for the party because of her extreme views.
In 2016 she was deselected as a candidate in the London Assembly elections after her role in setting up Pegida was discovered.
And earlier this year she was blocked from standing for Ukip in the Lewisham East seat in the General Election by then leader Paul Nuttall.
But Ukip’s NEC allowed her to stand for leader – to the anger of many in the party.
The NEC later tried to get all the leadership candidates to agree to change party rules so they would elected by a first past the post system rather than a form of proportional representation.
The move would severely undermine her chances of winning, but the plan had to be abandoned after one of the candidates refused to agree to it.
Ms Waters wants to ban the burqa and Sharia councils, and put a freeze on all immigration into the UK.
And she has demanded that mosques across Britain are forcibly shut down.
Nigel Farage, pictured in the US earlier this week, has said Ukip would be ‘finished’ if it becomes an anti-Islam party
Controversial Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali – who preaches an extreme social conservatism and suggested the decline of Christianity in Britain is linked to women going out to work – spoke at the conference today
Ukip supporters listen to speakers at the conference and will later hear the result of the party’s third leadership election in just one year
Former Ukip leader Paul Nuttall – who quit in the wake of the party’s disastrous election result – has a chat with some friends at the party conference
Ms Waters, who lives with her partner and two dogs, has insisted that ‘millions’ of Brits agree with her that Islam is ‘evil’.
Her election will plunge Ukip into fresh turmoil and could finish it off as a major electoral force for good.
A small group of protesters staged an angry demonstration outside the Torquay conference centre to protest at Ukip and their decision to invite Hugh Bronson from the AFD to address the conference later today.
They angrily rowed with Ukip delegates, who they accused of fuelling racism and bigotry.
They chanted: ‘No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here’ as they sad they decided to mount the protest as a sign of ‘solidarity’ with their comrades in Germany.
Under the charismatic leadership of Mr Farage, the party won four million votes in the 2015 general election and saw its dream of Britain voting to leave the EU achieved.
But in the past year it has been riven by splits and in-fighting.
In the last election it polled just 600,00 votes and is has had three leadership elections in just one year.
Diane James, who was elected last September, lasted just 18 days days in the job before quitting saying she was sick of banging her head against a ‘brick wall’.
Multimillionaire insurance tycoon Arron Banks – a key ally of Mr Farage – has pulled his funding from the party, plunging it into financial woes.
He is expected to help put the cash up to bankroll a new Brexit party if Mr Farage goes ahead with his plan to set it up.
The result will be announced later this afternoon.
The party is also set to unveil its new logo today in a bid to rebrand itself and appeal to new voters.
A logo bearing the name Ukip and an image of a lion is expected to be the winning design after a vote of members at conference.
But a row is already brewing over the revamp, with many in the party calling for their current purple and gold pound logo to be retained.
While many have remarked it bears a striking resemblance to the logo already used by the Premier League.
David Coburn, a Ukip MEP, told the Mail Online: ‘We should’t change our logo. It’s a load of PR twaddle – it’ll cost millions and we don’t have the money.
‘An interim leader shouldn’t be doing this – they are only an interim leader.
‘It could cost millions and we don’t have it.
‘It’s a load of waffle. We should keep the pound logo – why give away the most valuable thing we have – our logo.’
Steve Crowther, the party’s interim leader, said Ukip must prove it can be led by someone other than Mr Farage.
Addressing the party faithful, he hit out against what he said was a rising tide of intolerance in Britain.
He said: ‘If you dress up as a nurse, with balloons up your tunic, and push a bed round Worcester to raise money for a new scanner in the hospital, you are a sexist monster whose charity is refused.
‘If you black up to pay homage to the Cool Runnings Jamaican bobsleigh team while raising money on a carnival float, you are a racist monster who should be drummed out of the parade.’
‘If you point out that the world’s top University is a place where ideas – including lecturers’ perceived views on homosexuality – are there to be debated, not shut down, you are a homophobic monster who does not deserve to be the Vice Chancellor.
‘UKIP should campaign to have these absurd rules abolished, and return to crime being crime: judged on whether you did it, not what you were thinking when you did it.’
Ukip interim leader Steve Crowther, pictured at the conference today, said the party must prove that it can be led by someone other than Nigel Farage