UKIP has elected deputy chairwoman Diane James as its new leader to replace Nigel Farage who stepped down after the EU referendum in June.

Like her predecessor, Ms James is a member of the European parliament. She was announced as the party’s new leader at its annual conference in Bournemouth after a ballot of its 40,000 members.

A former business analyst, she announced her commitment to ensuring Britain acted on the referendum result and left the EU.

However, one of her more immediate tasks will be reuniting the party after a close ally of Mr Farage defected to the Conservative Party on the eve of the conference.

A number of former Tory party supporters are returning now that Prime Minister Theresa May is leading a government that is negotiating on UKIP’s main aim of getting Britain out of  the EU.