Nigel Farage snaps in Andrew Neil interview over Islamophobia in Brexit Party

Nigel Farage is interviewed by Andrew Neil. Photograph: BBC. - Credit: Archant

Nigel Farage has claimed he is ‘not a walking encyclopedia’ when he was asked about some of the extreme views of his Brexit Party candidates.

Farage was asked by BBC presenter Andrew Neil if he thought it was acceptable to call Islam a “child rapist death cult”, to which he responded: “No it wouldn’t be, why?”

Interviewer Neil revealed that the comments weren’t his personally – but were made by candidate David Ballantine, standing in Edinburgh South West.

The Brexiteer claimed the organisation had dropped Ballantine, but it was pointed out he remains on the ballot paper under the Brexit Party.

Farage responded: “Any attempt that gets made to try and paint the Brexit Party into being a right wing political party, that would harbour anybody with extreme views, is completely and utterly wrong.”

“If we found out [about his comments] later, and we sacked him subsequently, there isn’t much we can do,” he added.

That is despite insistence from the organisation they were vetting them thoroughly.

Neil asked Farage if it was acceptable to claim “Islam is the problem, and until we destroy them, the world will never be a safe place”.

A tetchy Farage insisted his organisation had “more diversity of background, of class, of race, than any other party in Britain”.

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The interviewed continued to point out the comment was made by Andrew Garcarz, their candidate for Birmingham Ladywood.

“I have absolutely zero idea. How would I?”, before adding: “I’m not a walking encyclopedia, sorry.”

He was unable to say what action had been taken, but said: “I’m sure. If some idiots slip through the net, they will have been got rid off immediately”.

Again it was pointed out to him that he would still be on the ballot paper on election day.

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