Ukip candidate brands Labour MP Jess Phillips a 'b*tch' and doubles down on rape comments at chaotic campaign launch

A Ukip candidate has branded a female MP a "giant b*tch" as he refused to apologise for rape comments during the party's official European election campaign launch.



In comments defended as "free speech" by Ukip leader Gerard Batten, MEP hopeful Carl Benjamin doubled down on a tweet sent in 2016 where he said he “wouldn’t even rape” Labour MP Jess Phillips.

Launching the party’s European elections at a press conference, Mr Benjamin, a Youtuber who is standing for the party in South West England, blasted journalists quizzing him on the controversial post.

“I said ‘I wouldn’t even...’. That’s not a threat, it’s actually just offensive," he told reporters.

“I’m not going to be apologising for my crimes against political correctness. I hate political correctness."

The video blogger added: “I didn’t think there’s any difference in how you should treat [a man or a woman], unlike The Establishment, unlike our judges - who literally say: 'if you were a man I would send you to jail.'

“If a woman is being a giant bitch and laughing about male suicide I’m going to be a giant dick back to her. Any questions?”

It is unclear what comments about male suicide he was referring to.

Mr Batten was meanwhile quizzed by Channel 4 News on whether he was willing to be associated with such remarks.

The Ukip leader replied: “These gentlemen are free speech merchants. They’ve been comedy acts…

“If they make jokes as part of their act - I’m not condoning any jokes - but this is what they are.

“Do you realise how few people watch Channel 4?.. You are an endless stream of left-wing political correctness."

As BBC News pressed the question, he replied: “That’s all you want to talk about? Our country’s future is on the line [and it's] all you can talk about, and the vast mass of people out there couldn’t care less.”

Responding the latest remarks on Twitter, Ms Philips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley said: "Carl Benjamin will forever have whatever career he has defined by me, he will hear my name wherever he goes. His whole political life defined by little feminist Jess, that my friends is comedy."

BREXIT PARTY A ONE-MAN DICTATORSHIP

The comments came as Mr Batten dismissed the new Brexit party set up by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage as a “one-man dictatorship”.

Rubbishing his Eurosceptic rival group as “Tory lite”, Mr Batten shrugged off polls showing the Brexit Party taking a lead ahead of the EU elections.

“If you think I’m standing aside for somebody on a personal ego trip, the voters can forget it," he said of Mr Farage.

"They’ve got to make a choice between a real party or a phoney party... He doesn’t want a proper political party. What he’s always wanted is a one-man dictatorship where he decides what goes on.

"That’s why he hasn’t got any members, he has subscribers, it’s why he’s going to decide all the candidates personally."

“I’m not disparaging his personal ability which I never underrated, but I don’t believe it’s a genuine party or it wants the real future beyond this election.”