Political activist Ann Marie Waters has launched a bid to become the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
Giving a speech to a small group of supporters and publishing her manifesto, Ms. Waters put the promise to create a written British constitution at the heart of her campaign.
“This constitution will affirm free speech, equal citizenship and civil rights for all, the authority of British law on British soil, and our democratic process, while putting in place common sense safety guards so that democracy cannot be used in order to destroy itself”, her manifesto explains.
In 2016, Mrs. Waters was blocked from standing for UKIP in the London Assembly elections due to her role in Pegida UK. In the 2017 General Election, she was de-selected as a parliamentary candidate after party leader Paul Nuttall described her views as “way above and beyond party policy”.
In her manifesto, she promises to protect the NHS, make law and order her “priority”, and give party members more influence in making policy.
“Brexit must remain one of UKIP’s top priorities, and we must be the party to fight inevitable efforts to derail our departure from the EU”, the manifesto adds.
My Manifesto for Forgotten Britain
Posted by Anne Marie Waters on Saturday, 1 July 2017
Ms. Waters in known for her hard stance on the issue of Islam and Islamist extremism, and her manifesto claims that, “Islam is having, and will continue to have, a profound and negative impact on freedom of speech, law enforcement, and especially the rights and freedoms of women.”
She proposes “internment of known jihadis and the deportation of non-British citizens engaged in any Islam-related criminal act” as well as closing Sharia councils and banning the burqa.
Ms. Waters also wants to “investigate all mosques known to host extremist anti-Western preachers, and subject these preachers to criminal law – including laws on incitement to violence. All non-British preachers of terror or violence should be deported…”
She writes that “migration is a positive thing, very few people would advocate an end to all immigration, but it must be carried out sensibly and in the best interests of the British people.”
However, she wants “a large reduction in immigration, including a temporary freeze so that illegal migrants already in Britain can be investigated and deported if appropriate…”
She also aims to end Multiculturalism and “Immigration from societies that have opposing values to ours”.