UKIP leader Nigel Farage has hit back at accusations of “Stalinism” amid a furore over the selection of West Midlands candidates for next year’s European elections.
In a filmed interview for the Birmingham Post, he also revealed he is likely to stand at the next general election.
Mr Farage was asked about his championing of controversial West Midlands former “shock jock” broadcaster Jon Gaunt.
The interview came as UKIP members were sent ballot papers to rank in preferential order candidates selected by a party committee to appear on UKIP’s election list next May - barring any further intervention by party high command (although “only if any serious wrongdoing emerging”, they claim).
Voters in May will decide how many of the list’s seven UKIP West Midlands candidates – starting with the top ranked candidate – will be elected to the European Parliament, based on the proportion of votes the party wins.
It follows a rejected High Court challenge by UKIP’s sole West Midlands MEP Mike Nattrass after he had failed to make the list against a selection process comprising an interview, written test and public speaking.
Mr Nattrass claimed the procedure went against the party’s rules that member should decide. The ex-UKIP deputy leader – who three years ago clashed with Mr Farage’s over the party’s alliance with a right-wing faction in the European Parliament – accused Mr Farage of interfering in selection with “personal favouritism”, against independently minded party members.
Mr Farage has also recently been accused by ex-UKIP chief executive Will Gilpin of running a party of “enthusiastic amateurs” that was all “about him”; and by ex-UKIP leader Professor Alan Sked of being “extraordinarily right wing” and “creating a fuss via Islam and immigrants”.
West Midlands MEP Nikki Sinclaire, latterly of UKIP before a bust-up saw her emerge under a new party (We Demand A Referendum Now) – which will stand against UKIP – accused Mr Farage of “Stalinism” in controlling candidates’ selection.
Mr Farage denied having any part to play, and pointed to Jon Gaunt’s failure to make the list as evidence against claims of “personal favouritism”.
He told us he was the “architect” and executor of a former selection process in 2004 and 2009 which “did not led to a good crop of candidates”, adding: “Too many people have let us down”.
The 49-year-old former commodities trader continued: “So I said at the outset of this two years ago I wanted nothing to do with it, so the chairman and the national executive, and outsourced headhunters and recruitment consultants, have got on with a set of criteria laid down by our national executive.
“So I was a bit upset to read last week that there was an accusation that somehow I’ve fiddled this.
“I’ve known Mike Nattrass a very long time. I’ve certainly had my ups and downs with him. That’s life, that’s politics, but Mike has always been a very loyal, hard-working believer in the UKIP cause and I have no reason to do him down. Nor does the party.
“He went through a series of tests and interviews which did not match up to the criteria. He took us to court.. the judge said not only was the process that UKIP used to shortlist candidates fair, but it was set up and designed to be fair.”
With a broad smile, he said: “Perhaps if I had been more Stalinist and I had kept more control, we wouldn’t have these problems.”
Asked if former Sun columnist and BBC Coventry broadcaster Gaunt, once sacked by TalkSport for an interview in which he called a councillor a “Nazi”, was a personal favourite, Mr Farage said: “I’ve always liked Jon Gaunt.. He’d been through foster homes, had been through difficulties, but overcome all that and been a huge success.
“If you look at politics and media.. a huge number are from very privileged and easy backgrounds. Having somebody like Jon there speaking up for ordinary people is a very valuable thing.”
