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Godfrey Bloom 'thrilled' with 'Foot in Mouth' award for string of gaffes
The marks the end of an memorable year in which the politician was embroiled in a row which cost him the party whip after he called women 'sluts
Former UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom has been recognised for his controversial way with words after winning this year's Plain English Campaign's 'Foot in Mouth' award.
The dreaded accolade sets the seal on what for most would be an annus horribilis. It was a a year which saw him widely vilified for referring to countries receiving British aid as 'Bongo Bongo land'. He also lost the party whip for memorably calling a roomful of women 'sluts' and publically bashing a journalist over the head with a brochure.
But despite receiving the award Mr Bloom remains unrepentant for the things he's said.
He told Yahoo News: "I am thrilled with this award and totally flattered. My reference to wasted British taxpayers money going on Bongo Bongo foreign aid won me national acclaim."
The independent MEP for Yorkshire and Humber's first brush with controversy this year occurred when he was recorded telling supporters at a public meeting in the West Midlands that Britain should not be sending aid to "Bongo Bongo land".
He suggested British foreign aid money was being used by recipients "to buy Ray-Ban sunglasses, apartments in Paris, Ferraris and all the rest of it that goes with most of the foreign aid."
His remarks received further attention after an appearance on the BBC's Radio 4's Today programme in which he promised to write an apology if he had "offended anybody in Bongo Bongo land".
Amid strong criticism a more sincere apology was issued in which he pledged not to use the offending term again.
More contentious remarks followed though just a month later when he suggested "most women can find the mustard in the pantry quicker than a man and most men can reverse a car better than a woman", in an opinion piece first published here on Yahoo News UK.
This would not be his last comment on gender that would raise multiple eyebrows. During a fringe event at this year's UKIP conference that was designed to promote the advancement of women in politics, two female UKIP members joked they did not clean behind the fridge.
Mr Bloom's response was to shout: "This place is full of sluts!"
[Godfrey Bloom: ban public sector workers from voting]
[Godfrey Bloom: Employers are prejudiced against men]
Moments later Channel 4 journalist Michael Crick questioned him over the lack of non-white people on the front cover of a UKIP conference brochure.
Asked for his thoughts on the matter he hitl Crick on the head with the brochure. Unfortunately for him the entire exchange was caught on camera.
Mr Bloom had the whip promptly removed and just a week later he resigned from the party to become an independent MEP.
A Plain English campaign spokesman said: "Bloom was an overwhelming choice for the Foot in Mouth award and, to be fair to him, could easily have won this award on at least two other occasions. (He is) a wince-inducing gaffe machine and we could fill a page or two with his ill-advised quotes from 2013 alone."
