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Nigel Farage was confronted by a BBC interviewer today after claiming he left UKIP because it has turned to the "far right".

The seven-time general election seat loser was quizzed as he prepared to unveil EU election candidates for his new-look Brexit Party - even backing them with a £1,000 bet.

Mr Farage, who quit UKIP in December, claimed today his former party has been "taken over" by the far right - and his new party, by contrast, will be "intolerant of intolerance".

Yet moments later, he said there was "no difference" in policy between the two parties.

He also said MPs should "fear" the public over Brexit - using the sort of language many have blamed for rising threats against MPs.

He was confronted by Radio 4's Today programme, who pointed out that the Brexit Party's own leader quit over anti-Islam messages sent from her Twitter account.

(Image: Getty Images)

The messages on Catherine Blaiklock's now-deleted account claimed Islam is "incompatible with liberal democracy" that “Islam = submission – mostly to raping men it seems”.

Squirming Mr Farage tried to shift the focus to Labour , saying it had hundreds of anti-Semitism cases unresolved.

"Well here's the difference - the Brexit Party is going to be deeply intolerant of intolerance," he said.

But pressed further he said: "I set the party up, she was the administrator that got it set up, fine.

"Have we had a couple of teething problems? Yes."

Despite Mr Farage describing her as an administrator, Ms Blaiklock was listed as the party's leader by the Electoral Commission.

Mr Farage has since taken over as leader with no election.

(Image: REUTERS)

Nick Lowles, chief executive of anti-fascist campaign HOPE not hate, said: “Nigel Farage is deeply unpleasant.

“He’s an elitist who rails against the elites, a career politician who rails against career politicians, a wealthy former stockbroker who presents himself as a man of the people.

“He’ll try and present himself as a respectable Brexiteer but no-one should forget that he campaigned for the likes of Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen and the right-wing populist AfD party in Germany.”

Mr Farage was grilled by the BBC as he prepared to unveil Brexit Party candidates for the EU elections in Coventry today.

Asked if he would have Muslim candidates he replied: “Absolutely we will do yes of course”.

He said his campaign was attracting growing support, raising £750,000 in small donations in the last 10 days.

At the same time, he said, more than 1,000 "high calibre" men and women had applied to be on the party's European candidates list.

He said before the event: "What you're going to see are men and women predominantly from the world of business.

"Many significant high achievers who want to put some real competence back into British politics."

He added: "You're going to be amazed by the cross-section of people we're going to put before the British public."

Mr Farage said the far right had joined Ukip, with former English Defence League leader Stephen Yaxley Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson, becoming its political adviser.

Claiming his new party would be different, he said: "In terms of policy, there's no difference (to Ukip), but in terms of personnel there is a vast difference.

"Ukip did struggle to get enough good people into it but unfortunately what it's chosen to do is to allow the far right to join it and take it over and I'm afraid the brand is now tarnished."

But he added Parliament needs to "fear the electorate" over "betrayal" of Leave voters.

He said: "We have been betrayed and the fightback begins today.

"What we're trying to do is launch a revolution in British politics and realign the party structure.

"We will be looking to take support from across the board and if we do that and if we succeed then I think Parliament will start to fear the electorate.

"And gosh they need to, given this level of betrayal."

Tories fear they will lose seats at the EU elections on May 23 as polls show support for the party plummeting amid anger at the main parties.

One MEP - David Campbell Bannerman - predicted today the Tories will "get a kicking" and be down to 10 MEPs.