Michael Holmes (politician)

Michael Holmes is a former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and MEP for South West England. He was educated at Sevenoaks School.

At the 1997 general election, Holmes unsuccessfully contested the New Forest West constituency. Later that year he was elected leader of UKIP. In 1999 he and two other UKIP candidates were elected to the European Parliament. The following year, he stepped down from the leadership as a result of a power struggle with UKIP's National Executive Committee. He left the party, but continued to sit as an independent MEP until 2002. He then resigned as an MEP and was replaced by Graham Booth, who had been the next candidate on the UKIP party list for South West England.