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Ukip members are either jokers or ‘literally akin to Nazis’, claims senior Tory MP in attack on ‘abhorrent and frightening’ views
- Conservative Robert Halfon tears into Ukip and the views of its members
- He is an ally of George Osborne and Tory chairman Grant Shapps
- Says Ukip had helped to ‘cleanse’ the Tories of abhorrent views
- Nigel Farage accuses Mr Halfon of ‘hysterical slurs’ fuelled by ‘Tory terror’
By James Chapman
PUBLISHED: 20:00, 6 March 2014 | UPDATED: 09:56, 7 March 2014
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Tory MP Robert Halfon tore into UKIP and the views of its members
Some members of the UK Independence Party are ‘literally akin to the Nazis’, according to a Tory MP.
In an incendiary attack ahead of the European elections, Robert Halfon said the anti-EU party had played a helpful role in ‘cleansing’ the Conservatives of people with extreme views.
Mr Halfon, an ally of Chancellor George Osborne and Tory chairman Grant Shapps, cited the example of UKIP immigration spokesman Gerard Batten, who believes that British Muslims should sign a special code of conduct rejecting violence.
He cited the example of UKIP immigration spokesman Gerard Batten, who believes that British Muslims should sign a special code of conduct rejecting violence.
Mr Halfon, who is Jewish, said: ‘To me there are two kinds of UKIP – the [former defence spokesman] Godfrey Bloom guy who’s like a cross between Sid James and Bernard Manning, and then there’s a much more sinister element, like the MEP who said every Muslim has got to sign a declaration of non-violence, which to me is literally akin to the Nazis saying Jews should wear a yellow star.
‘I genuinely find it abhorrent and frightening. I’m amazed that man is still an MEP. How someone could say such a thing and then not apologise for it…’
The MP said such people were not welcome in the Conservative Party and insisted he was glad they had been driven out by UKIP.
‘In many ways UKIP have done us an enormous favour because they’re cleansing people from the Tory party that had these kinds of views, which is great because I don’t want people who have those kinds of views in my party. So good luck to them, really,’ Mr Halfon told political magazine The House.
His incendiary attack on Nigel Farage’s party, in the run-up to the European elections in May, prompted an angry reaction from UKIP and will divide opinion on the Conservative benches.
The Tory leadership has fought shy of making direct attacks on UKIP since David Cameron prompted a backlash by dismissing the party’s representatives as ‘fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists’ in 2006. Party strategists warned that such remarks risked backfiring and playing into UKIP hands.
But some senior Tories now appear to have decided to confront the party, which says it is on course to top the polls in elections to the European Parliament on May 22, more aggressively.
‘There’s a much more sinister element, like the MEP who said every Muslim has got to sign a declaration of non-violence, which to me is literally akin to the Nazis saying Jews should wear a yellow star’
Tory MP Robert Halfon
Defence minister Anna Soubry launched a blistering attack on Mr Farage when the pair recently appeared on the BBC’s Question Time, accusing him of putting ‘fear in people’s hearts’ by scaremongering about immigration.
One Tory minister said many in the party had been ‘appalled’ by a recent ratcheting up of UKIP rhetoric, particularly at its spring conference last weekend. Mr Farage used the gathering in Torquay to express his alarm at hearing foreign languages spoken when he travelled by train.
But the UKIP leader attacked Mr Halfon for directing ‘hysterical slurs’ at UKIP and its members and said he intended to step up campaigning in his constituency of Harlow.
Last year in the county council elections, UKIP scored between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of the votes cast in the seat.
Mr Farage said: ‘Mr Halfon’s hysterical slurs are the result of a growing Tory terror of UKIP’s rising popularity all over the country.
‘Because I believe in taking politics and the big arguments directly to the people, UKIP will now be having a national action day in Harlow. Let the voters of Harlow hear what we have got to say. I know that many of them are already flocking to our side.
‘As we approach the next general election, we will also consider whether to add Harlow to our target seat list given the positive response of people in the town to our message.’
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Mr Halfon said Ukip members were either comedy characters like the party’s former MEP Godfrey Bloom, (left) or had more extreme views, such as UKIP immigration spokesman Gerard Batten (right), who believes that British Muslims should sign a special code of conduct rejecting violence
UKIP Euro election candidate Patrick O’Flynn said: ‘UKIP is the only party that believes in standing up for ordinary people by supporting border controls, whilst Mr Halfon’s party continues to back uncontrolled mass immigration from the EU with no volume control and no quality control either.
‘Mr Halfon’s idea that a party led by David Cameron and George Osborne will ever appeal to ordinary working families is deluded. But it is a shame to see him resort to gutter politics in a desperate bid to save his seat at next year’s general election.’
Mr Halfon used his interview to insist the Tories were ‘slowly’ demonstrating they are on the side of ‘white van Conservatism’.
‘The Labour Party give people safety nets, whereas we give them ladders. The problem for Conservatives is always: what are we about? Freedom – well what does that really mean to the person on street?
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Ukip leader Nigel Farage has sought to prevent further embarrassment for the party by checking the views and background of candidates
Mr Halfon went on: ‘‘Sovereignty, Europe… it’s all esoteric stuff. Partly Conservatism is a way of life – by habit you tend to be more traditional and so on. But actually the thing that we’re about is the ladder.
‘We’re slowly doing it, saying we’re the party for hardworking people, but we’ve got to build a real narrative around it, a real passion that we’re there to help the working poor and not only that, we’re there to help people who aren’t working get into work.
‘I believe Tory modernisation should be about one thing and that is being the party for the working poor – for people on low incomes. And everything else should follow.
‘We may get into coalition again, we may even win a small majority of 10 or 20 MPs, but we’ll never have a big majority unless we have a real narrative and working people think that we are speaking for them.’
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