The Mail On Sunday has released a recording of Kerry Smith, a senior UKIP member, making seriously offensive remarks about gay, lesbian, bi and trans people.
Kerry Smith, a UKIP parliamentary candidate has been caught in a recording calling gay men “Poofers” and a likening the LGBT acronym to a BLT sandwich, “with a Q on the end.” Smith is the party’s PPC in South Basildon and East Thurrock. The recordings of his phone calls have been released by The Mail On Sunday.
In the recordings, he also is heard to refer to a Chinese woman as ‘ a Chinky’.
At one point in the recording, he is heard talking about former UKIP Youth chairman, Olly Neville saying,
“Olly Neville – the sun shines out of his rear end. He’s now setting up BLT UKIP on Facebook.
“What the old poofter groups call themselves. I just call it a BLT like the sandwiches. It’s them letters BLT with a Q on the end, bacon, lettuce and tomato.
“It’s got our logo done with a rainbow. F**king loopy. That’s been approved by the NEC. That’s f**king disgusting.”
Olly Neville came under fire by the party’s leadership in 2013, when he said he endorsed same-sex marriages. Mr Neville claimed UKIP was “on the wrong side of history” on gay marriage and proceeded to publicise on Twitter emails that were to sent him by party leaders.
A statement released by UKIP on behalf of Smith said:
“I wish to issue a wholehearted and unreserved apology to those who I have offended within the party and anyone else.
“With regards to the leadership and management of the party I was completely wrong and my comments were fuelled by frustrations.
“At the time of this recording, I was considering my resignation due to major management changes which I have since discovered I completely misread and misunderstood.
“For the record, I was also on a strong morphine-based prescription medication for a back injury.”
Nigel Farage, leader of UKIP has refused to sack Smith over the phone calls, while the MoS claims that a “well-placed” UKIP insider said:
“Kerry wants to make a full apology and is hoping it all blows over.”
TheGayUK approached UKIP’s LGBT society for comment.
