Nigel Farage was last night accused of homophobia after footage emerged of him making a joke about ‘fags’ in a best man speech.

The Ukip leader’s final hours of election campaigning were overshadowed by the release of the video of his brother’s wedding.

The singer Rod Stewart, who was a guest at the July 2001 wedding, appeared visibly uncomfortable after Mr Farage used the word ‘fags’ as part of a joke about the death of a man at Michael Barrymore’s house, which happened months earlier.

Video footage has emerged showing Ukip leader Nigel Farage using the word 'fag' while making a joke about the death of a man in Michael Barrymore's pool at his brother's wedding

Mr Farage yesterday pulled out of a planned visit to a bingo hall shortly after he was contacted by the Mail about the film.

He claimed that he had intended ‘no malice’ with the joke, but did not apologise.

He said: ‘It was a best man’s speech for Christ sake. If you look at the whole video I told a whole series of jokes.

‘There was absolutely no malice intended in it at all. That particular joke was one doing the rounds quite widely at the time.’

A Ukip source last night said Mr Farage had pulled out of the bingo event because of concerns the hall would be too dark for photographs.

The wedding guest who made the recording handed it to the Mail because he said he it showed Mr Farage is homophobic.

Mr Farage refused to apologise over the remark, saying there was 'no malice' in it, and that it had been 'doing the rounds quite widely at the time'

He said: ‘He is homophobic. It’s disgusting. He is an out and out liar if he says he is not homophobic, there’s no question of that.

‘His attitude is dreadful. He is now trying the soft touch, but he’s definitely homophobic. No question about it. He is a total hypocrite. I want the nation to see it.

‘He claims not to be homophobic but why tell a joke about throwing fags in a pool at his brother’s wedding?’

The footage shows Mr Farage, 51, as he gave the speech during the reception after his younger brother Andrew, 48, got married to his wife Wendy, 41.

The meal was held in a marquee put up in Mr Farage’s home village, Downe in Kent.

Mr Farage, who appears much younger in the video with a full head of black hair, says that he would like to start the speech with some ‘housekeeping’.

He said: ‘As far as smokers here are concerned there’s good news and bad news for you. The bad news was we were not allowed to smoke until the coffee was served.

‘But the good news for us who are smokers is that we are far better off here than if we had been at Michael Barrymore’s house.

‘Because there they removed all the ashtrays on the basis that now they chuck all the fags in the pool.’

A female guest sat next to Mr Farage on the top table gasps as he mentions the gay entertainer’s name. Others clap and cheer as he gives the punchline.

The video then zooms in on Mr Stewart who looks uncomfortable and starts to play with his hair.

After Mr Farage makes the joke the camera pans round to show Rod Stewart, a guest at the wedding, looking very uncomfortable while playing with his hair

Mr Farage’s joke came just months after the death of Stuart Lubbock at Mr Barrymore’s home in March 2001.

The 31-year-old was found dead in a swimming pool during a party at the presenter’s mansion in Essex.

Ecstasy and cocaine were found in Mr Lubbock's blood - but more scandalous were internal injuries suggesting he was the victim of a sexual assault before his death.

An inquest returned an open verdict in 2003 and police never charged Barrymore or anyone else with murder. Mr Lubbock’s family have remained adamant that he was not gay.

In the speech, Mr Farage, who was elected an MEP two years earlier in 1999, said his ‘normal reaction is to have tomatoes and bread rolls thrown at me’.

Mr Farage was today pictured taking part in a frenetic final day of campaigning in South Thanet, where he is attempting to be elected MP, though the polls show the result is too close to call

The Ukip leader was yesterday accosted while out and about (left), and was handed a leaflet accusing him of being racist and homophobic. Today he enjoyed a pint with party supporters in Broadstairs (right)

He goes on to make a joke about his brother’s wife not using the word ‘obey’ in her vows and describes the Scottish Parliament building as ‘ghastly’.

As Mr Farage canvassed in Ramsgate town centre yesterday before the footage was released, he was approached by a man handing out leaflets accusing him of being homophobic, sexist and racist.

Mr Farage took a leaflet and said: ‘What have I done now? Oh I’m discriminatory, sexist, racist.

‘I was a banker? Was I? You have not even got your facts right mate.’

The man criticised the party for having a candidate who has worked as a porn star.

Mr Farage responded: ‘What’s he done wrong? Are you a Cromwellian puritan?