
On Sunday morning the new UKIP leader Diane James, was asked by the BBC's Andrew Neil about her political heroes. She struggled to think of anyone living, other than Vladimir Putin.
In her first apperance on Sunday Politics as leader of the party, James was asked the name her heroes in politics (other than Vladimir Putin). Neil's question was in reference to a previous statement made in 2015 by James when she was UKIP's justice spokesperson, that the president of the Russian Federation was someone she admired.
James, at first, struggled to name anyone, saying:
Well certainly not Trump, certainly not Clinton
Prompted further by Neil to name someone who she does think of in those terms, James said:
I can't think of anybody at the moment, apart from Mrs Thatcher maybe, and Winston Churchill
Her choices include first female prime minister and Conservative Margaret Thatcher (only a 'maybe'), the wartime coaliton leader and Conservative prime minister Winston Churchill, and the very much alive and nationalist president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
Neil sought to confirm:
So Putin, Churchill and Thatcher?
James nodded and smiled.
The clip has since been shared widely on social media.
The new UKIP leader, Diane James, live on the tellybox admits that Vladimir Putin is one of her political heroes... https://t.co/RzrrOhhvoM— Boab Thomas (@Boab Thomas) 1474196069
The response to this revelation has been, to put it diplomatically, mixed:
Blimey - new UKIP leader Diane James happily describes *Vladimir Putin* as one of her political heroes https://t.co/KxW9uCpfJ1— Owen Jones 🌹 (@Owen Jones 🌹) 1474196105
UKIP's new leader Diane James just listed her political heroes as 'Putin, Thatcher and Churchill.' Live on the BBC. I shit you not. #bbcsp— Jack Blanchard (@Jack Blanchard) 1474195427
Diane James names her political heroes as Thatcher, Churchill...and Putin #bbcsp— Sebastian Payne (@Sebastian Payne) 1474195287
Diane James, new Ukip leader, on her heroes: Maggie, Churchill - and Putin. Yes, Putin. https://t.co/I85Tqxjt2f https://t.co/8sYEMsL33D— Fraser Nelson (@Fraser Nelson) 1474200398
James' statement of admiration is not a new one.
In 2015, James suggested Putin had been 'provoked' into conflict with Ukraine by the European Union, and that she admired him as a nationalist for putting his country first.
The statement this Sunday came on the same day that Russians elect members of their lower house of the legislature (the State Duma). The elections are expected to return a majority for Putin's 'United Russia' party.