Gaffe-prone loons set to get a third of Euro vote

LENNY HENRY should be booted out of Britain and women should be banned from
wearing trousers.

Both are views spouted by a Ukip politician and a key party donor within the
past week.

But the party is STILL set to storm the ballot box in next month’s
European Elections. The latest polling claims Nigel Farage’s self-styled
party of the people may even claim 30 PER CENT of the vote on May 22
— thumping the mainstream.

The scale of the support has stunned Westminster given the gaffes that keep on
coming — with The Sun today revealing MEP Roger Helmer branded homosexuals
as “abnormal and undesirable”.

Last night Greek tycoon Demetri Marchessini — who last year donated £10,000 to
the party — said women should not wear trousers, to encourage marriage.

At the weekend council candidate William Henwood said Lenny Henry should go
back to a “black country”. Henwood quit on Tuesday.

And yesterday it emerged Ukip branch chairman Rosie Ward, 17, boasted about a
“fantastic” cannabis-fuelled party, captioning an online picture, “the
amount of baccy and weed I had to vacuum up”. She has since said the drug
was brought by gatecrashers.

Nigel Farage insists the party — dubbed “fruitcakes, loonies and closet
racists” by PM David Cameron — is being attacked by the Establishment.

He says coverage of the gaffes is driven by “old parties” terrified of the new
boys on the block.

David Cameron may be right to be scared. A YouGov poll for The Sun last night
showed that at next year’s General Election, 37 per cent will back Labour,
31 per cent the Conservatives, with Ukip at 15 per cent.

Labour would gain power if just SEVEN per cent of voters choose to back
Ukip.

In such a scenario, Labour will STILL win more seats than any other
party — 309 to the Tories’ 304.

If the vote splits as our poll suggests, Labour will take 364 seats, winning
106 more than in 2010, and gain a majority of 69 in the Commons.

The Tories will have just 239 seats, losing 86 — but Ukip will still end up
with no seats.

Ukip’s success is largely down to voters wanting to register their fury with a
protest vote next month.

But Labour and Tory MPs feel the blunders are damaging Ukip’s support.

One Tory MP yesterday said: “More people I’m talking to are beginning to
realise Ukip are just a bit potty.”

Ukip’s biggest gaffes

Here, HARRIET HERNANDO details Ukip’s most bonkers gaffes.

No poles required

8

ONE of the party’s European Election posters appeared next to an advert
bearing the slogan “NO POLES REQUIRED!” – advertising
inflatable tents.

Mums, Savile and Bongo Land

8

IN January this year, left, Nigel Farage said working mothers are “worth less”
than men.

IN May 2013, right top, Bradley Monk, then a candidate for Hampshire County
Council, was forced to apologise after it emerged he dressed as paedo Jimmy
Savile for a Halloween party.

July 2013, right bottom, then-MEP Godfrey Bloom was caught on camera saying
Britain should not send aid to “Bongo Bongo Land” as the money is spent on
“sunglasses and Ferraris”.

Second World War trouble

8

IN April 2013, Anna-Marie Crampton, standing in East Sussex, was suspended
after web comments made in her name said: “The Second World Wide War was
engineered by the Zionist Jews and financed by the banksters.” She denied
making the posts.

Abortion outrage

8

IN December 2012, Ukip candidate Geoffrey Clark called for a debate on whether
unborn babies with Down’s syndrome or spina bifida should be aborted.

Facebook problems

8

In May, Chris Pain, then the party’s East Midlands chairman, allegedly
described immigrants on his Facebook page as “sandal-wearing, bomb-making,
camel-riding, goat-f******, ragheads” – though he claimed his account was
hacked.

Affair

8

IN March this year, Ukip leader Nigel Farage was accused of having an affair
with an aide – AND paying her and his wife from the public purse.

Farage rubbished the accusations, made by former Ukip member Nikki Sinclaire
in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Irish actor plays jobless Brit

8

IN April, a “jobless” British worker on a poster was revealed to be an Irish
actor. Ukip was accused of “hypocrisy” for employing him over a UK citizen.

Party worker to vote for Ukip shocker

8

Lizzy Vaid posed as a “voter” from Devon in the party’s manifesto – despite
being a full-time Ukip employee.