Since the election of Batten as leader of the party there have been accusations that UKIP is embracing the far-right. Those saying the party was moving to the right began early in Battern's leadership when he began to focus the party around rejecting Islamic ideology and when a quote arose of Battern calling Islam a "death cult". In September 2018 Battern was also criticised for attending an anti-Muslim rally in Sunderland. These accusations grew much stronger after the far-right activist Tommy Robinson was appointed an advisor to Battern in November 2018. This led to many of UKIP's MEPs and former party leaders Nigel Farage and Paul Nuttall to leave the party, as well as the party's leader in Scotland.