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UKIP leader Paul Nuttall has been pictured giving a thumbs-up stood alongside a violent member of the far-right English Defence League.

The Bootle -born party chief posed at a rally alongside Andy Edge, a former Stockport EDL leader convicted of violent disorder at a 2014 protest.

A UKIP spokesman admitted the picture was “embarrassing” but said Mr Nuttall had no idea who he was at the time, as the man was one of hundreds of supporters who queued for pictures.

Alison McGovern , Labour MP for Wirral South, had told the Sunday Mirror: “For Paul Nuttall to associate himself with far-right extremists like Andy Edge is very concerning and he should immediately clarify these alleged links.

“Our grandparents’ generation gave everything to fight against far-right hatred. We can’t let them down now and allow the far-right to rise again.”

(Image: Facebook)

Andy Edge shared the photo on his Facebook page alongside another photo with former UKIP chief Nigel Farage.

He has also claimed to be a former campaign manager for UKIP, but this was denied by the party.

The discovery of the photo comes as Paul Nuttall, a former North West MEP and Liverpool Hope history lecturer , seeks to win election to Parliament in the upcoming Stoke by-election.

A UKIP spokesman told the ECHO: “It’s embarrassing, awkward and unpleasant but you can’t defend yourself from it, especially if you want to engage with ordinary people.

“There were about 1,200 people at the Leave rally at the Macron Stadium in Bolton last year, and 250 of them queued for selfies with Nigel and Paul.

“This fellow was one of them, and the photograph was taken. But we had no idea who he was. We don’t ask everybody in the line ‘have you ever been a member of this or that party’.

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The spokesman added: “We have an absolute ban on BNP, EDL and all fascist groups. People from some groups will turn up, get their mugshot and put it up on Facebook.

“The political class lock themselves away in Westminster because they’re frightened of things like this happening, and never speak to the average punter.

“Things like this are no fun, but we’ve come to the conclusion we’d rather take the hit than lock ourselves away. So you leave yourself open to this kind of behaviour.”