Mrs Jones said she does not “feel welcome in the assembly group” and has not been “treated equally or as favourably” as Mr Bennett or Neil Hamilton, the first UKIP group leader.
She alleged a leadership election was called to get her out of the job, and questioned whether the way it was held adhered to the party’s constitution.
Image caption Gerard Batten has taken the party in “a direction I’m not comfortable with”, Caroline Jones said
Mrs Jones told BBC Wales Mr Batten – who has been highly critical of Islam – was changing the party “to a more far-right position, which a lot of the long-standing members are finding quite unfavourable, including myself”.
“I never joined the party to be part of a far-right organisation – I joined the party because I wanted to come out of the European Union,” she said.
“Gerard Batten should listen to all sides and try to mediate and bring people together, as opposed to alienating them.
“He’s brought a lot of views into UKIP which people, the more moderate members, of the party have asked him to tone down.”
She alleged she had been subject of “misogyny”, claiming examples of a meeting where she was allegedly told to “shut up”, one where she had a pair of glasses thrown at her, and another where she was told to stop taking minutes.
Mrs Jones said: “I never liked the way that certain members in the assembly conducted themselves in their attitude towards female members.”
Media captionGareth Bennett said it would be easier for the UKIP group to operate without Caroline Jones
The MEP said: “I have brought the party back from financial meltdown, raised funds, raised membership numbers, and raised UKIP in the polls. Ms Jones has contributed nothing that I am aware of.”
He added: “Her statement is politically correct twaddle to disguise the fact that Mrs Jones is politically ineffective. I wish her well languishing in the outer realms of irrelevance.”
UKIP assembly group leader Gareth Bennett said he was “not totally surprised” by Mrs Jones’s exit and suggested people in the party who do not agree with its direction should “get off the train and then make it easier for the group to operate”.
He said UKIP was not moving to the far right but said not everyone in the party agreed with Mr Batten’s direction.
Mr Bennett denied the misogyny accusations – he confirmed that Caroline Jones had been told to “shut up” at a group meeting but said it was not related to her gender.
“There was poor behaviour from probably two or three people in that room at that meeting,” he said.
“I’m supremely confident that the group will eventually cohere.”
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Neil Hamilton was ousted as UKIP assembly group leader by Caroline Jones in May
Neil Hamilton has called on Mrs Jones to resign her regional list seat and allow another UKIP member to become an AM, but she told BBC Radio Wales that she would not stand down.
Under the regional list system used to elect 20 of the 60 assembly members, voters choose a party rather than a specific candidate.
When a regional AM resigns, they are usually succeeded by the person who was next on the list for their party at the previous assembly election in that region.
I hear rumours from a usually well informed insider that Michelle Brown, currently Ukip AM for North Wales is likely to quit representing them shortly and represent her own views as an Independent.
Although Gareth Bennett is expected to run for leadership of the National Party at the next Ukip Leadership election, but he may find a snag in his plan as it is likely that the hapless Gerard Batten may well step down and not seek re-election after the crass ineptitude of his period standing in as leader nationally.
If Batten does cut and run it is expected he will back Mike Hookem for the leadership, well the field is staggeringly poor as anyone who has followed Ukip will appreciate – it is clear there is not a single individual with the relevant experience or visible qualities needed.
Regards,
Greg_L-W.
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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
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Ukip Wales In Trouble Again Over Racism & Now Alexandra Phillips & Llyr Powell Quit as candidates just one month prior to the election on 05-May-2016
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16 UKIP candidates ‘reconsidering’ over Gareth Bennett row
By David Deans
Image copyrightMedia WalesImage caption Gareth Bennett sparked a row when he blamed immigrants for problems with rubbish in Cardiff
UKIP chairman Steve Crowther has been told 16 of the party’s Welsh election candidates are reconsidering whether the organisation represents them following a race row.
They have formally complained over comments by UKIP South Wales Central assembly candidate Gareth Bennett.
Meanwhile UKIP Wales head of media Alexandra Phillips is stepping down as a candidate citing personal reasons.
Mr Bennett’s fate as a candidate is expected to be decided on Monday.
The complaint about him, made in a letter to Mr Crowther seen by BBC Wales, reads: “We believe the party should take swift and immediate disciplinary action against Mr Bennett.
“We as candidates and many members who support us are deeply considering whether UKIP really represents us.”
The letter, signed by 16 candidates for the assembly and the police and crime commissioner elections, said Mr Bennett had “undermined the party and our own ability to campaign through his offensive… comments about immigrants to Wales”.
It said Mr Bennett’s comments “are contrary to UKIP’s fair and ethical stance on immigration”, and he had “degraded our ability to campaign and connect with voters by saying it is pointless to knock on doors”.
“Mr Bennett is not fit to be a lead candidate in a grassroots party where engaging the public is crucial to our success,” the letter added.
The South Wales Central candidate linked rubbish problems in Cardiff’s City Road area to immigration in a Wales Online interview in March.
He said: “I think with some of the ethnicities that have moved in, possibly the Eastern Europeans, they just don’t have any awareness of the hygiene problem that is being caused at times.”
He stood by his comments in an interview with the BBC’s Daily Politics programme, and said he had served a draft legal letter to his party saying UKIP could face action for lost earnings of £300,000 if he were to be deselected.
‘Final assessment’
Nigel Farage, party leader, said last week he was “less than impressed” with Mr Bennett.
UKIP’s vetting committee met on Sunday and is due to report to the NEC meeting.
Meanwhile, Ms Phillips, who was to be UKIP’s number two candidate on the South Wales Central regional list behind Mr Bennett, told BBC Wales she would continue in her media role for the campaign, but would no longer be seeking election herself.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought and have decided party politics is not for me,” she told BBC Wales.
“It’s a personal decision – I don’t want to take on a partisan role.”
In the long run we may well find that Alexanra Phillips has withdrawn from the election to preserve herself. Clearly the public have every right to know details on electoral candidates, whereas mere employees are of rather less significance and Ms. Phillips may well have felt she would be damaged and she may even have thoughty of the damage she would do to Ukip, as a leading candidate, as details of her indiscretions were published as a candidate even for the relatively insignificant position as a candidate, even member, of the National Ass. for Wales an over funded position in an EU Regional Assembly.
For starters perhaps we should consider the effect of CLICK HERE all be it the EU’s Regional Councils are defined as insignificant as shown CLICK HERE or HERE
That Ukip NEC finds Gareth Benett’s crass comments acceptable and have supported him as a leading candidate in Wales speaks volumes of Ukip’s shift towards the BNP position as racists happy to blame all problems on foreigners, you may recall Nigel Farage himself tried to blame immigrants for turning up hours late for a public commitment in Wales!
It will be interesting to see howmany members of Ukip Wales’ 16 candidates who wrote in protest at Gareth Bennett’s behaviour will follow the lead of Alexandra Phillips & Llyr Powell and stand down as candidates – Llyr Powell made it very clear that he was standing down in disgust unwilling to work with Gareth Bennett.
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Regards,
Greg_L-W.
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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
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Greg Lance - Watkins (Greg_L-W)
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Ukip-vs-EUkip 