Heritage Party | |
|---|---|
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| Leader | David Kurten |
| Founder | David Kurten |
| Founded | 21 October 2020; 5 years ago (2020-10-21) |
| Split from | UK Independence Party |
| Ideology | Euroscepticism British nationalism British unionism Right-wing populism Social conservatism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Slogan | "Freedom, Family, Nation" |
| Website | |
| heritageparty | |
TheHeritage Party is asocially conservative political party in theUnited Kingdom, founded in October 2020 when then-London Assembly MemberDavid Kurten left theUK Independence Party (UKIP) to form the party.[1] Kurten was also a member of theBrexit Alliance, a Eurosceptictechnical group he formed in 2018 with fellow former UKIP memberPeter Whittle.
In January 2020, Kurten announced he would be running as an independent candidate in theupcoming London mayoral andLondon Assembly elections (then scheduled for May 2020, but both elections were postponed to 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic).[2] Kurten founded the Heritage Party, and it was registered with theElectoral Commission that October.[3][4]
In December 2020, Kurten rejected aCOVID-19 vaccine, for which he was denounced byConservative mayoral candidateShaun Bailey, who saw this as irresponsible for an elected politician.[5] Lockdowns in response to thecoronavirus pandemic in the United Kingdom were condemned by Kurten.[6]
In March 2025, the party gained representation in local government, when Becki Bruneau, aKent County Councillor forTunbridge Wells, defected from the Conservatives.[7][8][9]
The party has stood in eightby-elections so far:
| By-election | Candidate | Votes | Out of | Percentage | Place | Out of | 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 themurder of previous MPDavid 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 |
Kurten came 15th in the2021 London mayoral election with 0.4% of the vote. Heritage came 13th in theAssembly 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).
| Election | Votes | Share of votes | Seats | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13,534 | 0.52% | 0 / 25 | #13 |
| Election | First Preference Vote | Share of votes | Seats | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 128 | 0.0% | 0 / 90 | #16 |
| 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 |
| Council | Candidates | Elected | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Oxfordshire[16] | 1 / 17 | 0 / 17 | 99 | 0.1 |
| Election | Votes | Share of votes | Seats | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,431 | 0.18% | 0 / 25 | #14 |
The party's candidates stood in 41 constituencies in the2024 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 |