Political Career
Campbell Bannerman was a member of the Conservative Party, as a borough councillor in Tunbridge Wells from 1992-1996. He was chairman of the Bow Group from 1993 to 1994 and Special Advisor to Sir Patrick Mayhew from 1996 to 1997 while Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
In 1997 he stood for the Conservatives in Glasgow Rutherglen and in 2001 in Warwick and Leamington where he obtained nearly 38% of the vote in second place.
After joining UKIP in 2004, Campbell Bannerman stood as that party's candidate for North Cornwall in the 2005 General Election and polled 3063 votes. He was appointed as the Party Chairman in December 2005, following the resignation of Petrina Holdsworth.
Outside party politics, has been a member of the London Safety Camera Partnership Project Board and was involved in the "Save Acton Mainline" Campaign.
In 2006 he ran for the leadership of the UK Independence Party, scoring third place with 1,443 votes, after Richard Suchorzewski who came a clear second. After that election, he was appointed as Party Deputy Leader by Nigel Farage who had won the election.
During the 2007 Scottish Parliament Elections, he stood as UKIP's Holyrood Regional List candidate for the Highlands and Islands. His campaign gained UKIP 1,287 votes (0.7%) that was down 0.5% from UKIP's 2003 campaign. In 2009, he was elected to the European Parliament after UKIP won 19.6% of the vote in the East of England region.
Following the resignation of UKIP leader Lord Pearson, in 2010 Campbell Bannerman announced his intention to stand for the leadership of UKIP for a second time.
Campbell Bannerman returned to the Conservative Party on 24 May 2011 and now sits as a Conservative MEP in the European Parliament.
Read more about this topic: David Campbell Bannerman
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