UKIP Suspends Candidate For 'Abhorrent' Views

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One of UKIP's candidates has been suspended for apparently making racist comments and threatening to murder a political rival.

Robert Blay, who was standing in North East Hampshire, has been suspended with immediate effect, the party has confirmed.

It comes after the Daily Mirror published a video of Mr Blay apparently threatening to shoot his Conservative rival for the seat, Ranil Jayawardena.

Sky's Robert Nisbet said the footage, which was secretly recorded at a party event in Kent on Saturday, was a "serious headache" for the party.

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UKIP said in a statement "the views expressed by Mr Blay are abhorrent" and that he was suspended "as soon as they were brought to our attention".

In the video, Mr Blay notes his rival has been tipped as Britain's first Asian prime minister.

He then reportedly said: "If he is I will personally put a bullet between his eyes.

"If this lad turns up to be our prime minister I will personally put a bullet in him. That's how strong I feel about it.

"I won't have this f***** as our prime minister. I absolutely loathe him."

Mr Blay also questioned Mr Jayawardena's background, saying: "His family have only been here since the '70s.

"You are not British enough to be in our Parliament."

When asked how he felt at the prospect of Mr Jayawardena getting elected in what is considered a safe Tory seat, Mr Blay said: "It makes me quite sick.

"But I've always said in my constituency you could put a monkey out there with a blue rosette on and it would win."

Mr Blay went on to accuse his opponent's father of having come to Britain from Sri Lanka and "ponced off us ... like all the East Europeans are".

In response, Mr Jayawardena said: "I was shocked to hear about these comments and that someone who holds these types of views could have been selected as a UKIP candidate.

"My family believes in hard work. My father came to this country to do just that - never claiming a penny from the state.

"He's contributed to society as a magistrate and I've done the same as a local councillor.

"I hope to contribute positively to our country by representing my community - the community in which I grew up - in parliament.

"The only way to stop people like this is to vote Conservative on May 7."

UKIP said his views "have absolutely no place in British politics or public life" and apologised to Mr Jayawardena for any distress caused.

The party's deputy chairman Suzanne Evans has said she will press for the vetting and assessment of its candidates to be tightened up.

"We make mistakes but when we make mistakes we're honest enough to put our hands up and deal with them," she said.