The Ukip candidate exposed by The Mail on Sunday after calling for all immigrants to be sent home is at the centre of a row over claims she falsely said her son was injured in Afghanistan.
Victoria Ayling, who is running for the key election seat of Great Grimsby, made the comments after being confronted by her local party over her non-attendance at Ukip meetings.
After saying it was because she had spent ‘five months nursing her son back to health after being blown up in Afghanistan’, Lieutenant Colonel Ron Shepherd, the leader of Ukip’s North East Lincolnshire group, launched an investigation.
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Row: UKIP politician Victoria Ayling, with party leader Nigel Farage, who is being questioned over claims about son
Astonishingly, he has raised questions about whether she has misrepresented her son’s situation. Mrs Ayling denies that is the case.
It is the latest controversy to hit the 55-year-old, who in 2013 was caught on camera calling for all immigrants to be repatriated, saying: ‘I just want to send the lot back.’ She claimed her remarks had been taken ‘out of context’.
Mrs Ayling fought Great Grimsby at the 2010 Election as a Tory, coming within 714 votes of a shock victory against Labour veteran Austin Mitchell, who is now standing down. The seat is high on Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s hitlist.
Controversy: Victoria Ayling on front page of Mail on Sunday
Lieut-Col Shepherd set out his findings in a memo dated Monday December 8, which read: ‘I understand her son Anthony Bowles is stationed in Woolwich as part of the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment. I have spoken with the Adjutant of 1 RA who cannot release details to me. Anthony’s grandmother Brenda has stated he’s not been blown up.’
Shortly afterwards, Mrs Ayling was confronted by local Ukip councillor Matt Stinson about whether her son had been injured. The incident took place at a meeting attended by David Soutter, whose job is to vet Ukip candidates.
Mrs Ayling fought back, saying: ‘It is a private matter and nothing to do with you, Matt. My son had problems in Afghanistan and is recovered and back in service.
‘If anybody in the Army is giving out mistruths or anything about my son I want to know their name – they have got no right to talk about another soldier’s private life.’
Last night, this newspaper was called anonymously by a man who said he was a soldier who had served alongside Mr Bowles. The unidentified caller said Ukip’s Grimsby party had been unfair to Mrs Ayling – because she had kept the matter quiet to protect her son.
He added Mr Bowles had been caught up in a ‘very bad situation’, which he declined to describe.
Lieut-Col Shepherd said last night: ‘You’ll have to talk to Victoria about that.’ Mrs Ayling said: ‘This is a private matter.’
The MoD declined to comment.
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