John Bufton
| John Andreas Bufton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the European Parliament for Wales | |
|
In office 8 June 2009 – 2 July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Eluned Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Nathan Gill |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
31 August 1962 (age 54) Llanidloes, Montgomeryshire, Wales |
| Political party | UK Independence Party |
John Andreas Bufton (born 31 August 1962 in Llanidloes[1]) was a UK Independence Party Member of the European Parliament for Wales,[2] before standing down in May 2014.[3]
Early life
He was educated at Elan Village Primary School and Llandrindod Wells High School, and joined the family haulage business before embarking on a career managing a residential care home for the elderly with the local authority.[1]
Political career
John Bufton's political career began when he was elected onto Rhayader Town Council in 1987. In 1995, he was elected to Powys County Council. In the 1997 General Election, he ran for the Referendum Party in the Montgomeryshire constituency.
In 2000, he ran as UKIP candidate in the Ceredigion by-election, coming fifth with 1.9% of the vote. He also ran for UKIP in the 2005 General Election, 2007 Welsh Assembly Elections and 2008 Powys County Council election.[1]
In 2009, Bufton became UKIP's first MEP for Wales, picking up the fourth available seat from Labour, and pushing the Liberal Democrats into 5th place. Bufton was appointed to serve on the Committee on Regional Development, at the European Parliament. In May 2013, Bufton announced his intention to stand down at the next European elections.[3] He was replaced by Nathan Gill.
References
- 1 2 3 Party Profile
- ↑ "European Election 2009: Wales". BBC News. 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
- 1 2 "UKIP MEP for Wales John Bufton to stand down at election". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-07-21.