Image copyright Reuters Image caption Paul Nuttall, left, with outgoing leader Nigel Farage

Paul Nuttall has been elected leader of the UK Independence Party, replacing Nigel Farage.

The 39-year-old Member of the European Parliament, who served as UKIP's deputy leader for six years, won 62.6% of support among party members.

He promised to "put the great back into Britain" and force the government to "give us a real Brexit".

Mr Nuttall defeated former deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans and ex-soldier John Rees-Evans.

It was UKIP's second leadership election this year, previous winner Diane James having quit after 18 days in the role. Mr Farage acted as interim leader while the second leadership race took place.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Nuttall, a former history lecturer who played football for Tranmere Rovers as a boy, said: "The country needs a strong UKIP more than ever before. If UKIP is to be an electoral force, there will be an impetus on Theresa May and her government to give us a real Brexit."

He added: "I want to replace the Labour Party and make UKIP the patriotic voice of working people."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption New UKIP leader Paul Nuttall: I have not just talked the talk, I've walked the walk

Appearing on BBC Two's Daily Politics, Mr Nuttall said the party would be "speaking the language of ordinary working people... we're going to move into the areas the Labour Party has neglected", dismissing Labour leader leader Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell and Diane Abbott as part of "a North London Islington set".

He said: "We will be focusing on the issues that really matter to working-class people on doorsteps - immigration, crime, defence, foreign aid, ensuring that British people are put to the top of the queue in the job market."

Image copyright Reuters Image caption UKIP members applaud Paul Nuttall's acceptance speech

Ms Evans said Mr Nuttall had her "full support", saying she was glad he won such a decisive victory because it gave him a "huge mandate" to unite the party.

Mr Nuttall, who was born in Bootle, Merseyside and was UKIP deputy leader from 2010 until September this year, attracted 9,622 votes.

Ms Evans came second with 2,973 votes (19.3%) and Mr Rees-Evans third with 2,775 votes (18.1%). There were 32,757 ballot papers sent out, with 15,405 votes cast.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Diane Abbott tells The World at One Labour must address voters' fears about immigration

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Now on their third leader in as many months, UKIP are too divided, distracted and incompetent to offer any serious solutions for the people of Britain.

"After a leadership contest, which the winner himself has described as 'completely shambolic', we've seen brawls and squabbling - but nothing about the issues facing ordinary working people."

Labour MP Dan Jarvis said the party could not be "remotely complacent" about the threat posed by UKIP and had to listen to voter concerns about issues like immigration. He called for the party to appoint a frontbencher to deal specifically with the issue.

But shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said this was not necessary, telling BBC Radio 4's The World at One Mr Jarvis "clearly has not been talking to many people in Europe" if he thought changes could be made to EU free movement rules while being involved with the single market.

She added: "The fact is that immigrants themselves are not responsible for low wages."

Analysis - Norman Smith, BBC assistant political editor

This was a commanding, thumping win for Paul Nuttall. The scale of his victory matters. His pitch was that he was the only person able to bring the party together and heal its divisions and this gives him a mandate to do so.

His approach will be different from that of Nigel Farage, whose focus was on appealing to Tory voters. Mr Nuttall wants UKIP to become the authentic voice of the working class by talking about issues that Labour finds problematic.

It was no coincidence he spent much of his speech attacking Jeremy Corbyn and his allies. Beating Labour in the North of England will be a mountainous task - and it remains to be seen how this strategy will appeal to the party's libertarian wing - but it is not impossible, as the SNP has proved in Scotland.

But first he will have to deal with the huge tensions and personal animosities in the party. He will take comfort from Mr Farage's insistence he won't be a back-seat driver.

UKIP has been plagued by disputes between senior figures over the summer, with some leaving the party.

But Mr Nuttall, an MEP for North West England, said, under his leadership: "There will be one theme - unity - because only unity breeds success."

Mr Nuttall's first act as leader was to appoint London Assembly member Peter Whittle as his deputy. He also offered Mr Farage joint honorary presidency of the party.

Paul Oakden will stay on as party chairman and MEP Patrick O'Flynn - a close ally of leadership rival Suzanne Evans - will be his principal political adviser.

Douglas Carswell, UKIP's only Westminster MP, tweeted: "Thrilled and delighted by UKIP new leader Paul Nuttall - clear new strategic direction!"

But Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron predicted Mr Farage would be "back in the leadership after a few weeks of recharging his batteries stateside", adding: "UKIP do not speak for Britain and their brand of reactionary, divisive politics threatens the character and cohesion of our society."

Speaking ahead of Mr Nuttall's election, Mr Farage said he had a "certain sense of déjà vu" given the party had only had a leadership election in September but insisted he was stepping back and would not be a "back-seat driver".

He said he was "confident" about UKIP's future, saying it had shifted the "centre of political gravity" in UK politics and had been the inspiration for Eurosceptics across Europe but also Donald Trump's successful presidential campaign in the US.

Timeline: Previous UKIP leaders

Image copyright PA

Diane James (September-October 2016): UKIP's first female leader only lasted 18 days in the job, saying she lacked authority. The MEP later quit the party

Nigel Farage (2006-2009 and 2010-2016): The face of UKIP for more than a decade, he served two stints as leader, during which UKIP became a major force in British politics. He quit briefly in 2009 and again in 2015 only to change his mind.

Lord Pearson (2009-2010): The former Conservative peer was elected leader in late 2009 but the party underperformed at the 2010 election and he quit soon after, saying he was not "much good" at party politics.

Roger Knapman (2002-2006): A former Conservative MP, he joined UKIP after the 1997 election and became leader in 2002. Stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in 2001 before becoming an MEP in 2004. Stood down in 2006.

Jeffrey Titford: (2000-2002): A popular figure who led UKIP into the 2001 election and served as an MEP for a decade.

Michael Holmes (1997-1999): Served as leader for two years and was elected to the European Parliament before quitting after an internal power struggle in 1999. Subsequently left the party.

Craig McKinlay (1997): Served as interim leader for a few months in 1997, latterly serving as deputy. Contested three general elections as a UKIP candidate before defecting to the Tories and winning the Thanet South seat in 2015 - beating Nigel Farage

Alan Sked (1993-1997): Formed the Anti-Federalist league, which later morphed into UKIP. The academic has since been critical of UKIP, describing it as "Frankenstein's monster".</s>Paul Nuttall has been elected by UK Independence Party (Ukip) members to replace Nigel Farage as leader, ending a turbulent period for the party after the referendum to leave the European Union.

Nuttall, the former deputy leader, was elected with an overwhelming 62.6 per cent of the 15,405 votes cast. His presumed nearest challenger, Suzanne Evans, won just 19.3 per cent of the votes, only 200 more than the rank outsider, John Rees-Evans, who won 18.1 per cent.

The MEP for north-west England takes over from Mr Farage, who had returned briefly as interim leader in October when his chosen replacement, Diane James, stepped down after just 18 days in the job , citing a lack of internal party support.

Speaking at a party event in London after being announced as leader, Mr Nuttall called for unity following the tumultuous few months for the party. He told members that if they did not wish to unite “your time in Ukip is coming to an end”.

Mr Nuttall used his acceptance speech to promise he would hold the Tories to account over Brexit. He vowed also to pursue Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party, saying it had lost touch with working class voters. “I want to replace the Labour party and make Ukip the patriotic party of the UK.”

Mr Nuttall was preceded by Mr Farage, who gave a valedictory speech in which he hailed Ukip’s key role in delivering Brexit and, as he argued, paving the way for Donald Trump’s election as US president.

Mr Farage insisted he would not return again as leader, but would help his successor as needed. Other than that, Mr Farage said, he would combine being an MEP with a career in the media and a visit to the US “as a tourist”.

Mr Farage has spent little time on public party duties while back in the job, instead spending time in the US to support Mr Trump.

It will be Nuttall’s task to revitalise Ukip and seek ways to maintain the party’s relevance following an exodus of supporters and members to the Conservatives after the Brexit vote.

British prime minister and Conservative party leader Theresa May has embraced the cause of leaving the EU and has adopted key Ukip policies, such as lifting the ban on new grammar schools.

However, the new leader may seek to exploit Eurosceptic fears that May will not be able to deliver a clean break from the EU that reduces immigration and cuts ties with the single market.

At the same time, there may be an opportunity to woo pro-Brexit Labour supporters in the north of England who were unhappy with their party’s campaign to remain.

Mr Nuttall, a former university history lecturer from Bootle in Merseyside, has been seen as the senior Ukip figure most likely to be able to connect with this vote.

The MEP has strong rightwing views on crime, is open to a referendum on the reintroduction of the death penalty for child killers, and opposes abortion.

The party has been unsettled by having two leadership contests in rapid succession after Mr Farage announced his intention to stand down as leader in the wake of the EU referendum.

In the first contest, the favourite to succeed Mr Farage, Steven Woolfe, was disqualified from running because he submitted his application 17 minutes late, and Ms Evans was not allowed to stand because she was suspended from the party.

Ms James, an MEP, was elected leader but stepped down after signing her official forms with the words “under duress” in Latin. She later said she did not feel that she had the support of colleagues to carry out necessary reforms of the party’s national executive committee.

A fresh contest was called, but Mr Woolfe again had to withdraw following a fight with fellow MEP Mike Hookem in the European parliament in Strasbourg over reports he had been in talks about defecting to the Conservatives.

Woolfe ended up in hospital after collapsing and both men were investigated by the party, while the altercation was referred to French police by the European parliament president, Martin Schulz.

Mr Nuttall and Ms Evans entered the contest, along with Mr Farage’s former chief of staff, Raheem Kassam, who later withdrew saying the path to victory was too narrow, and Peter Whittle, a Ukip London assembly member, who also withdrew and gave his backing to Mr Nuttall.

John Rees-Evans, the least known of the candidates, was in the news last year for claiming in 2014 that his horse had been raped by a gay donkey.</s>Britain’s populist U.K. Independence Party chose European Parliament member Paul Nuttall as leader on Monday, replacing the charismatic but divisive Nigel Farage.

In his parting speech, Farage claimed the political upheavals that are taking Britain out of the European Union and Donald Trump into the White House are far from over.

He said UKIP’s anti-EU, anti-globalization politics had had a “seismic” effect in Britain, and beyond.

“It is Brexit that directly led to the Establishment getting beaten on the 8th of November and Donald J. Trump about to take the presidency,” Farage said, referring to the U.S. presidential election. “We were the inspiration behind much of that.”

Nuttall decisively beat two other contenders in a contest to head the right-wing anti-EU party, winning 62.6 per cent of the votes cast.

The 39-year-old former college history lecturer vowed to unite the fractious party and fight to ensure that Britain’s divorce from the EU is not watered down during negotiations.

“We will hold the government’s feet to the fire electorally and ensure that Brexit really does mean Brexit,” he said.

Monday’s announcement follows a tumultuous period for UKIP, which was instrumental in forcing Britain’s Conservative government to hold a referendum on EU membership.

The June 23 vote to leave the bloc was a triumph for the party, which was founded to get the U.K. out of the EU. But UKIP’s leadership — a collection of authoritarians, libertarians and former Conservatives — soon descended into squabbling.

Farage stepped down after the EU vote, which he said capped his political career. But replacement Diane James resigned after 18 days. The favourite to replace her, Steven Woolfe, also quit after a fight with a UKIP colleague that left him hospitalized.

UKIP won almost 4 million votes in the 2015 election, though that translated into just one of the 650 seats in Parliament because Britain doesn’t have a system of proportional representation.

Nuttall said that as leader he would take on the left-of-centre Labour Party in England’s former industrial heartlands.

For decades, Labour has been the main party of working-class voters. But, like Trump, UKIP has won the support of many lower-income voters by linking immigration and globalization to the financial squeeze felt by many families.

“I want to replace the Labour Party and make UKIP the patriotic voice of working people,” Nuttall said.

Despite its success shaping the political agenda, UKIP’s membership has declined from its peak, and the party faces an uncertain future without Farage, a crowd-pleasing populist who helped propel UKIP from political fringe to influential power broker.

Farage said Monday he wouldn’t be a “back-seat driver” to the new leader, and would retain his seat in the European Parliament until the term ends in 2019.

Farage’s international profile has grown because of his strong relationship with Trump, who suggested in a tweet that Farage would make a good British ambassador in Washington.

The British government quickly replied that there was no vacancy for the job.

Farage said Monday he was heading to the U.S. this week — “purely as a tourist. Nothing more than that.”</s>Ukip’s new leader Paul Nuttall has said he will “promote the English” and pursue more devolution for England in an appeal to disaffected working-class voters in Labour’s northern heartlands.

Mr Nuttall, 39, said Ukip under his leadership would “replace” Labour after he was elected by a landslide as Nigel Farage’s successor.

The Merseyside-born former history lecturer has called for Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs to be removed from the House of Commons to make it an English parliament, with the House of Lords turned into a UK-wide senate. He has called for the abolition of the Barnett Formula that calculates devolved funding.

“Whilst we as a party believe in the United Kingdom and are unionist to our fingertips, under my leadership we will champion a fair devolution deal for England and we will promote the English,” Mr Nuttall said in a speech after being named the new leader.

“I say this because there is a value that unites the vast majority of British people away from the small metropolitan clique, and that value is patriotism.”

Mr Nuttall, the North-West England MEP, took 62.6% of the vote. The new leader vowed to unite Ukip and “hold the Government’s feet to the fire” over the delivery of Brexit.

And he made clear his sights are on poaching votes from Labour, arguing that the party under Jeremy Corbyn was more interested in “dinner party” topics like climate change and fair trade than the interests of their working class voters, such as immigration and social mobility.

Mr Nuttall added: “My ambition is not insignificant. I want to replace the Labour party and make Ukip the patriotic voice of working people.”

He dismissed suggestions that his party had fulfilled its mission in securing a Leave vote in June’s EU referendum, saying a strong Ukip was needed to stop Theresa May imposing “some mealy-mouthed, backsliding version” of Brexit.

Mr Farage promised not to be “a back seat driver” but offered his support. Following calls from US president-elect Donald Trump for the outgoing Ukip leader to become UK ambassador, he said he was “going off to the USA - but, you will understand, purely as a tourist”.
Paul Nuttall wins an overall majority in a vote to become the UK Independence Party's (UKIP) leader, succeeding Nigel Farage.