Nicole Sinclaire

Nicole Sinclaire, MEP

Nicole Sinclaire (born 26 July 1968, London) is a former MEP for West Midlands. She originally represented the United Kingdom Independence Party from June 2009 until January 2010, when she was expelled by UKIP. In September 2012 she set up the We Demand a Referendum party.

In May 2014 Sinclaire was charged by West Midlands Police with money laundering and misconduct in public office after an inquiry into her expense claims during her time as a UKIP MEP. Simon Orme, a specialist lawyer with the CPS special crime division, said:

It is alleged that, between October 2009 and July 2010, while serving as an MEP, Ms Sinclaire used funds paid into her bank account by the European parliament in respect of false travelling expenses claims. Ms Sinclaire has also been charged with misconduct in a public office with regard to her actions. The decision to prosecute was taken in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors. We have determined that there is a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest.

Affiliations

Parliamentary Affiliations

Member:

EMPL Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

PETI Committee on Petitions

DROI Subcommittee on Human Rights

D-CL Delegation to the EU-Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee

DLAT Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly

Substitute:

FEMM Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

Record and controversies

Discrimination case

Nicole Sinclaire had the whip removed by UKIP leader Nigel Farage in January 2010 after she refused to sit with members of the far-right Italian party Lega Nord, claiming some of its members were homophobic. Ms Sinclaire said it was 'ridiculous' she had been asked to join the Europe of Freedom and Democracy bloc, which includes Lega Nord: "You would not expect a black MEP to sit next to a Ku Klux Klan member so why would you expect me to sit next to someone who wanted me dead?"

Ms Sinclaire filed a discrimination suit against UKIP, claiming that Godfrey Bloom MEP called her 'a queer' as she passed him in the hallway of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The judgement, on which UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Godfrey Bloom MEP were both listed as respondents, found that: 'The claim of sexual orientation discrimination is well founded'.

Godfrey Bloom, who denied making the comment and said he was unaware of any investigation, had been ejected from the European Parliament in November 2010 after directing a Nazi slogan at a German colleague.

Declaration of financial interests

(A) Occupation(s) during the three-year period before taking up office with the Parliament, and membership during that period of any boards or committees of companies, non-governmental organisations, associations or other bodies established in law:

• political advisor to Mike Nattrass MEP (income category 2)

Personal information

Contact

Address:

Parlement européen

Bât. Altiero Spinelli

04F254

60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60

B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel

Phone:

+32 (0)2 28 45756

Fax

+32 (0)2 28 49756

Email:

nikki.sinclaire AT europarl.europa.eu

Website:

http://www.yourmep.org/

This article is part of the MEPedia project of Spinwatch.

Resources

• BBC, "Rebel Euro MP Nikki Sinclaire expelled by UKIP," BBC News, 04 March 2010.
• Daily Mail, "Lesbian UKIP MEP told to sit next to 'far right member who wanted me dead' wins discrimination case," Mail Online 24 December 2010, accessed 25 November 2012.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Nicole Sinclaire, 16 June 2009, accessed 05 November 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Nicole Sinclaire, accessed 05 November 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Nicole Sinclaire, accessed 05 December 2010.