Ukip’s new leader Diane James lists Vladimir Putin alongside Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill as her ‘political heroes’
Choosing the Russian leader as a 'hero' has caused quite a stir with commentators branding it “disturbing” and “beyond extraordinary”
DIANE James has only been the leader of Ukip for two days and she’s already making headlines with her controversial views – by confirming Vladimir Putin is one of her political “heroes”.
At the end of her interview on the BBC programme Sunday Politics she was asked “other than Vladimir Putin, who is your main political hero?”
After saying “certainly not Trump, certainly not Clinton”, she was pressed to give the name of someone who she does admire.
She replied “I can’t think of anybody at the moment apart from Mrs Thatcher maybe and Winston Churchill.”
When asked to confirm “So, Putin, Churchill and Thatcher?”, she replied “Mm-hmm”.
Her admiration for the Russian leader prompted a swift reaction on Twitter with people calling it “disturbing” and “beyond extraordinary”.
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Andrew Neil’s line of questioning stemmed from a 2015 interview in which Ms James described the Russian president as "a strong leader" who stands up for his country.
Mr Putin has attracted international criticism after the Russian annexation of Crimea, incursion into Ukraine and his support for the brutal Bashar Assad regime in Syria.
But Ms James said in the 2015 interview: "Nigel (Farage) went on record saying if you provoke the Russian bear you get a reaction.
"I admire him from the point of view that he's standing up for his country. He is very nationalist.
"He is a very strong leader. He is putting Russia first, and he has issues with the way the EU encouraged a change of government in the Ukraine which he felt put at risk a Russian population in that country."
Ms James won the race to succeed Mr Farage as Ukip leader on Friday, taking the top job with 8,451 votes.