FEISTY former Independent Waverley borough councillor Diane James was elected UKIP leader at the party’s Bournemouth conference.

The political determination that fuelled her meteoric rise through UKIP ranks to be elected MEP, deputy chairman and then leader, was forged by nine years in the fiery furnace of Tory-dominated Waverley.

Mrs James, the ward member for Ewhurst, from 2006-15, served as an Independent from 2006-13, and was the only opposition member in the Tory-dominated council for the last two years.

She switched to become UKIP borough councillor in March 2013, just weeks after famously beating the Conservatives into second place as UKIP’s candidate in the Eastleigh parliamentary by-election.

Mrs James led Waverley’s three-strong UKIP party, the official opposition in a council dominated by 53 Tory councillors until 2015, when she lost her seat to the Conservatives in the May elections.

That year may have marked the end of Waverley’s UKIP opposition but the party had gone from strength to strength nationally, with Mrs James riding the crest of the wave.

She was elected one of four UKIP MEPs in the South East in a landslide victory in 2014.

At the conference, it emerged she had secured nearly half the votes in the leadership contest after going up against four other hopefuls.

Mrs James told The Herald that during her nine years tenure on Waverley Borough Council, she gained valuable experience on the eastern planning committee and as the chairman of the environment overview and scrutiny committee, which she once jokingly referred to as “overscrew and mutiny” and believed was a more fitting title.

Opposition councillors, while not necessarily always agreeing with her viewpoints, have acknowledged her positive contribution to the council’s operations and activities during those nine years.

“Being an elected councillor provided me with invaluable experience of the world of politics,” she said.

“I cannot say it was always positive or indeed pleasant but that is reflective of the adversarial nature that UK politics has become in this country. Despite being elected leader, I shall continue in my role as an elected MEP for the south east of England.

“My personal torch will be in ensuring delivery of true Brexit and making UKIP the opposition party in waiting.

“Many people will be aware of my background in the healthcare sector and I intend that UKIP take the lead in an innovative policy that addresses the UK NHS and healthcare service delivery across the country.

“The poor financial situation of the Royal Surrey County Hospital is indicative of trust hospitals across the country. Equally our GP practices are under huge financial pressures which, as I have learned, in the last year, are now impacting on patient treatment.

“This cannot continue and hence, the NHS and healthcare service provision will be an area where I shall be taking a very high personal interest in terms of UKIP’s policy development.”