Councillor Thomas Aldridge admits making the comments (Picture: Tauntondeane.gov.uk)

A Ukip councillor appeared to blame same-sex marriage for drugs and violent crime during a meeting about anti-social behaviour.

Councillor Thomas Aldridge, 87, councillor for the Lyngford ward in Somerset, made the comments at a meeting regarding anti-social behaviour, reports the Somerset County Gazette.

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He said: ‘It’s probably not a very popular observation, but it’s simply this: that long-term, if we could get back to marriages being the sort of standard, and I’m talking about heterosexual marriage as the standard, throughout the country, as it was say 50 years ago, most of these social behaviour and drug problems and all the rest of them would just disappear.’



Pink News reported that the highest homicide rate in the last 50 years was in 2002-03, when neither same-sex marriage or civil partnerships were legal in England and Wales.


Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Cllr Aldridge claimed he had been misrepresented and intends to seek legal advice against the Gazette, despite admitting making the comments.

He claimed that in most cases of children being murdered it was the ‘irregular’ families (Picture: Getty)

He said: ‘I don’t see why homosexual marriage is relevant in this debate. There was no discussion into that. It is the sort of relationships that can produce children that are relevant to this.’

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When asked if couples who were infertile were included in this, he replied: ‘How would they know that they could not have children until they started trying?’

However, when it was put to him after the meeting that same-sex couples could have children through IVF and adoption he said: ‘That’s rubbish. In most cases of children being mistreated, or in some cases, murdered, it is the “irregular” relationships, the “reconstructed” families.’

He also told Metro.co.uk: ‘I would advise you to read the Charles Murray article from the Sunday Times dated 13 February 2000.’

He said: ‘Going back to after WW2, marriage was the norm – our behaviour now is not.'(Picture: Getty)

When asked if he thought an article from 18 years ago was still relevant, he said: ‘Would you argue that sexual reproduction is still relevant? I would argue it is relevant for our survival.’

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In another comment reported in the Gazette he said: ‘It’s simple really, going back to after WW2, marriage was the norm – our behaviour now is not.’

When questioned what he meant in the statement he said: ‘Well we can’t call girls, girls or boys, boys anymore, and I find it to be ridiculous. I’ve managed to work in the council for a few years now and it’s never blown up like this.’