Ukip’s new leader Henry Bolton says he does not believe Britain will reach any Brexit deal and says the UK should not let the negotiations drag on.
Mr Bolton told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I think it’s going to be incredibly difficult to achieve a deal.
‘I actually do not credit some of the people in the European Union with any wish whatsoever to have a smooth deal.
Ukip’s new leader Henry Bolton says he does not believe Britain will reach any Brexit deal and says the UK should not let the negotiations drag on
Mr Bolton told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I think it’s going to be incredibly difficult to achieve a deal’
‘The other thing is, I do not believe for a moment that we should be pushing this out and allowing the negotiations to be endless before we leave.’
And asked if he would ‘ban the burka’, Mr Bolton said: ‘I don’t think it’s about banning the burka, is it? It’s about “What is the problem here?”
‘Now if we’ve got a security problem with identifying people, it’s not just about the burka, is it? It’s about full face covering. So, if indeed there is a problem with full face coverings, then the burka obviously is included in that.’
He added that his own personal opinion is if anything is making it difficult to identify an individual on the streets, it is ‘something that we need to address’.
Discussing his political background, he said it was ‘a long story’, saying: ‘I got into politics because when I was a United Nations administrator – effectively a district governor – in Kosovo. I was mandated, amongst other things, to help local political parties organise themselves and prepare for the first local government elections.
And asked if he would ‘ban the burka’, Mr Bolton said: ‘I don’t think it’s about banning the burka, is it? It’s about “What is the problem here?”
Mr Bolton said he believes in ‘old-fashioned, classical liberalism’, but feels it has ‘lost its way a bit’
‘At that time I knew very little about the internal structures and governance of political parties. And the only way I could really find anything out was by joining one of them, and I wasn’t going to join the Conservatives or the Labour Party and it was a simple case of going for the one in the middle, which was the Liberal Democrats.’
Mr Bolton said he believes in ‘old-fashioned, classical liberalism’, but feels it has ‘lost its way a bit’.
The new leader will set out his vision for how the party aims to re-establish itself as an electoral force on Saturday.
Henry Bolton has already stressed he will seek to unite Ukip after defeating a candidate whose description of Islam as ‘evil’ had threatened to split the party.
Ukip grandee Nigel Farage welcomed his appointment as party chief, calling him a ‘man of real substance’
Neil Hamilton speaks during the Ukip National Conference at the Riviera International Centre in Torquay
Delegates of UK Independence Party clash with anti-austerity protesters during the party’s annual conference
He is Ukip’s fourth leader in a turbulent year marked by infighting which saw the party suffer a dismal general election, gaining just 1.8 per cent of the vote share, down from 12.6 per cent in 2015.
Mr Bolton said Ukip had avoided becoming the ‘UK Nazi Party’ after his defeat of Anne Marie Waters.
On Friday night, Ms Waters made her displeasure at the result clear.
She tweeted: ‘Today: Jihad – 1 Truth – 0.’
She added: ‘My Labour past was mentioned every day (I never hid it), but a Lib Dem past is fine.. No mention.’
The 54-year-old former soldier comes to the role after a distinguished career as a diplomat – having been awarded an OBE for services to international security in 2013.
Ukip grandee Nigel Farage welcomed his appointment as party chief, calling him a ‘man of real substance’.
New Ukip leader Henry Bolton emerged from obscurity to defy the bookies and beat the two front-runners in the contest to replace Paul Nuttall
Despite being relatively unknown, the ex-Thames Valley police officer, who joined the party in 2014, is no stranger to running for elected posts.
He stood for the Liberal Democrats in Runnymede and Weybridge in the 2005 general election, finishing third behind current Chancellor Philip Hammond.
More recently, the Sandhurst alumnus stood for Ukip as Police and Crime Commissioner in Kent in 2016, finishing second.
Mr Bolton, who describes himself as ‘an expert in borders, security and foreign policy’, has worked as a diplomat for the United Nations, Foreign Office and the EU, according to his website.
Henry Bolton with his wife Tatiana Smurova-Bolton, who gave birth to their baby daughter on the 3.43pm Southeastern service from Ashford International to St Pancras International on Sunday May 15, 2016
The ex tank crew member arrived on the diplomatic scene after service in the military, having been deployed in Germany, Belize, Cyprus and Bosnia
It adds he was deployed to countries like Croatia, Kosovo, Libya and Ukraine on diplomatic missions for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The ex-tank crew member arrived on the diplomatic scene after service in the military, having been deployed in Germany, Belize, Cyprus and Bosnia.
After leaving the army, he worked as a police officer for eight years and received a commendation for bravery.
Henry Bolton, the new UKIP leader a former soldier, career diplomat and ex-Liberal Democrat candidate
Last year, his wife gave birth to their daughter Victoria on a train that had just pulled into St Pancras Station – his third daughter.
After his surprise triumph, he called on the party to united behind him to deliver its aims.
He said: ‘I do not see myself now as simply being your leader, I see myself as serving this party.
‘You are the party, not me, and this party needs to serve its country.
‘There is no greater calling than that and I would call on all of you, whether you voted for me or not, to rally around the party, to be united.’
He lives in Kent with his children and wife Tatiana Smurova-Bolton.
Mr Bolton, who describes himself as ‘an expert in borders, security and foreign policy’, has worked as a diplomat for the United Nations, Foreign Office and the EU, according to his website