Suzanne Evans, Ukip’s deputy chair and the author of the party’s 2015 manifesto, has seen her national profile rise and is likely to be regarded as a realistic potential candidate to replace Nigel Farage should he step down in future as leader.
A prospective parliamentary candidate for Shrewsbury and Atcham, Evans graduated from the University of Lancaster, trained as a reporter at BBC Radio Shropshire and later worked with the broadcaster in Birmingham.
She moved to London, working as a reporter and presenter for various BBC Radio 4 and 5 programmes before setting up a PR and marketing consultancy.
However, her slick performance on the podium at the Ukip manifesto launch belies a particularly high-profile gaffe in the wake of last year’s local election results when she blamed London’s “more media-savvy and educated” population for the party’s lack of success in the capital.
Before joining Ukip, Evans was a councillor in the London borough of Merton for the Conservatives and was the deputy leader of the party’s grouping on the council. She defected to Ukip but lost her seat.
She now lives in the Frankwell area of Shewsbury. Outside politics, she founded a national patient health charity, Lipoedema UK.
