Top 10 ‘Best of the Worst’ UKIP Candidates

#RidiculousUKIP

There are plenty of colourful UKIP candidates to choose from when compiling a ‘best of the worst’ howlers.

Some are out-and-out racists, homophobes or Islamophobes; others are just ‘out there’.

The potential candidates include South Suffolk’s Aidan Powlesland, who plans to invest in an interstellar fleet to mine the moons of Jupiter.

Or George Connolly in Wyre Forest, who expressed his love for his party by scrawling “UKIP” in biro across his bare chest.

To prevent the list stretching on forever, however, the criteria was limited to those who have expressed the worst prejudicial views.

Below is our top 10 worst UKIP candidates hoping to win over the electorate this week.

1. Tony Pycroft, Selby

Pycroft was slammed in the press after a string of deeply offensive “jokes” were revealed on social media, including posts comparing the niqab worn by some Muslim women to patio umbrellas.

In another particularly unpleasant post Pycroft wrote: “I’m sick of people knocking on my door begging. There’s just been a woman asking for donations for a sperm bank. I gave her a right mouthful.”

Pycroft remains on the ballot paper.

2. Ian Kealey, Bristol South

Former teacher Kealey was branded “islamophobic, homophobic and paranoid” by a former pupil after tweeting: “LGBT marching against Islamophobia ?!? It’s like Jews marching for Hitler.”

Kealey also shared a post from fascistic Twitter account Defend Europa saying: “Die white people they’re our countries now.” Kealey also claimed that “open doors” led to an “epidemic of rape and riot.”

3. Kalvin Chapman, Manchester Central

HOPE not hate revealed that Chapman had described Islam as “despicable” and Muslims as “fucked up” back in 2015.  At the time he was standing for UKIP in the Stretford and Urmston constituency, Greater Manchester, which is roughly 10% Muslim.

Today, he’s back for another try.

4. David Allen, Rochester and Strood

Allen has promoted UKIP literature bearing the signs of anti-Muslim ‘counter-jihad’ ideology shoved through doors in Medway, Kent, just days after the appalling Manchester attack. “Much of Islamic dogma is derived from a 1,400 year old source, is brutal and inhumane, seeks world domination and regards non Muslims as unworthy,” the literature states.

Allen has a track record of spreading other counter-jihad material on social media, and has blurred the lines between peaceful Muslims and violent extremists on the UKIP Daily blog.

5. Nicole Bushill, Chatham and Aylesford

Bushill’s social media displays a litany of anti-Islamic posts, for example railing against an “islamic halal tax” on Easter products that is supposedly “being paid to Islam”, and another repost calling to “end Islamisation” due to halal meat being served at Subway. Another post on Bushill’s account states that “Islam has a phobia about ANYTHING not ISLAMIC”.

An additional post praises leading Dutch counter-jihad politician Geert Wilders. “Keep voting for these guys people and we may just win this war,” the post reads.

6. Alan Craig, Witney

Craig caused a storm for referring to the LGBT lobby as the “Gaystapo”, writing on his blog in 2011 that “gay-rights storm troopers take no prisoners as they annex our wider culture” and that opponents “find themselves crushed under the pink jack-boot”.

In 2015 Craig came under scrutiny after links to “gay cure” practitioners were exposed. Craig dropped out of a “Transformation Potential” event for people trying to cure “unwanted same-sex attraction” after PinkNews revealed that he was due to speak at the event.

7. Alan Harris, Oxford West and Abingdon

“A bacon sandwich – a piece of English heritage the fucking Muslims don’t want” reads one post made on Harris’ Facebook page. Others posts exposed by HOPE not hate in 2015 labelled Romanians and Bulgarians as thieves, used homophobic slurs and shared anti-Muslim content originally posted by the Bolton branch of the British National Party (BNP).

When asked about the posts, The Independent reported that Harris claimed his Facebook account had been “hacked”, despite the fact the posts were made between 2011 and 2013. Harris, who was a candidate in the Oxfordshire constituency in November 2014, later denied ever having given a statement to the paper.

8. David Coburn MEP, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

Coburn was forced to apologise in 2015 after calling Scottish government minister Humza Yousaf “Abu Hamza”, after a convicted terrorist.

Coburn was also slammed after he called Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservative party, a “fat lesbian” and Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont a “fish wife”. Coburn is UKIP’s most prominent gay politician but opposes same-sex marriage. Coburn also raised eyebrows when he stated that his country should breed more rather than allow increased immigration.

9. Bill Etheridge, Dudley North

Etheridge has made numerous blunders over the years, and his personal life has been the catalyst behind numerous fallouts in UKIP’s Dudley branch.

Etheridge resigned from the Conservative Party after posing with “golliwogs” on Facebook and raised eyebrows when he praised Hitler as a “magnetic and forceful public speaker” who “achieved a great deal”.

Etheridge was also slammed after a 2015 meeting in Dudley in which he echoed the words of Enoch Powell, warning that multiculturalism could lead to “rivers of blood.”

Despite all this, Etheridge announced at his that he dreams of being Prime Minister at his campaign launch in Sedgley.

10. Gerard Batten, Maidenhead

Last, but probably worst, is UKIP co-founder Batten, who recently attracted widespread condemnation for labelling Islam – which he calls Mohammedianism – a “death cult, born and steeped in 14,000 years of violence and bloodshed.”

With tensions high following the appalling terrorist attack in Manchester, Batten reiterated his belief that “Mohammedanism is a barbaric, regressive ideology that was primitive and backward when it was first concocted in 6th century Arabia.”

Batten is a veteran anti-Muslim activist with links across European counter-jihad networks. He called for British Muslims to sign a “charter of Muslim understanding” to reject violence in 2014. He also addressed the 2011 dinner of the Traditional Britain Group (TBG), which holds annual far-right gatherings attended by both Tory fringe members and extreme-right elements.

Despite what for many parties would be an embarrassment, under Paul Nuttall and predecessor Nigel Farage, there seems little sign that Batten is moving.

If you want to avoid #RidiculousUKIP this Thursday, make sure you turn up and VOTE.