Tim Aker


Timür Mark "Tim" Aker is a British politician who was a Member of the European Parliament for the East of England region. He was elected as a UK Independence Party candidate in 2014. He was head of UKIP's Policy Unit from August 2013 to January 2015, and was UKIP's candidate for the Thurrock constituency in the 2015 general election, coming third in a close 3-way election. Aker joined the Thurrock Independents as a councillor in 2018, leaving UKIP for good later that year.

Early life

Aker was born in Orsett to a Turkish father and an English mother, and grew up in Aveley. He attended Havering Sixth Form College. He went on to study at the University of Nottingham. He graduated with a BA in History and Politics.
He was previously campaign director for Get Britain Out and a coordinator for the TaxPayers' Alliance.

Political career

Referred to by The Spectator as one of UKIP's most recognisable figures, Aker stood unsuccessfully in the constituency of Thurrock in the 2015 general election. On 20 January 2015, Aker quit as UKIP's Head of Policy, with some press reporting that he was sacked for failing to complete the party's manifesto on time, a claim which the party denied. Appointed as Local Government spokesman by Henry Bolton in October 2017, Aker left this post after Bolton failed to resign as leader following a vote of no confidence from UKIP's National Executive Committee.
After the ousting of Bolton as leader, Aker left UKIP. As of December 2018, he sat in the European Parliament as a Thurrock Independents MEP, while remaining a member of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy parliamentary group. As of February 2019, he now sits in the European Parliament for the Brexit Party. He also resigned his seat on Thurrock council having moved away from the area.

Elections contested

European Parliament elections
Date of electionRegionPartyVotesPercentage
of votes		Result
2014 European electionEast of EnglandUKIP542,81234.5Elected

United Kingdom general elections
Date of electionRegionPartyVotesPercentage
of votes		Result
2015 general electionThurrockUKIP15,71831.7Unelected
2017 general electionThurrockUKIP10,11220.1Unelected

Thurrock Borough Council by-election
Date of electionWardPartyVotesPercentage
of votes		Result
2014 Thurrock Borough Council by-electionAveley & UplandsUKIP74740.9Elected
2018 Thurrock Council electionAveley & UplandsThurrock Independents1,03743.2Elected