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UKIP deputy leader Paul Nuttall is to stand in the Bootle constituency in the General Election.

He will face current Sefton council leader Peter Dowd who was chosen by Labour as their candidate last year after the retirement of veteran MP Joe Benton.

Mr Nuttall hit the headlines after he was branded a “Bad Bootle UKIP Meff” on twitter during an appearance on BBC Question Time.

Bootle is the second safest Labour seat in the country behind neighbouring Walton.

However, Mr Nuttall, who is the party’s MEP for the area, said that he is “eagerly looking forward to the contest.

He said: “I know I’m the underdog in what is effectively a two party contest but I’m ready for the battle and have no doubt I will increase my percentage of the poll.

“People are disillusioned with professional politicians and feel totally let down. It is plain that the Labour Party is in disarray with even its own dwindling supporters losing faith and abandoning them.

“UKIP is now the only party that truly represents the working class, who have been left adrift by Labour.

“As I am Bootle born and bred I know the area and the residents and their needs and concerns particularly well,” said Mr Nuttall who has always lived on Merseyside.

He is a regular on radio and television, including BBC’s Question Time and has been an MEP since 2009 and deputy leader of UKIP since 2010.

He was formerly the party’s youngest ever chairman and at one time the youngest MEP elected for UKIP.