Sheffield UKIP candidate removed over Breivik blog post Published duration 1 May 2012

image caption Mr Moxon was sacked from his job as a civil servant in 2004

A man who was due to stand in Sheffield's local elections for UKIP has been stripped of the candidacy over comments made on his blog.

Steve Moxon, a former government whistle-blower, is standing in the Dore and Totley ward.

On his blog he said Norwegian killer Anders Breivik's thesis on Islam and political correctness was accurate.

Mr Moxon said he "resolutely does not agree with" his crimes. UKIP said his comments were at odds with its policy.

Breivik, 33, killed 77 people in Norway last July. He is currently on trial accused of terrorism and mass murder.

Mr Moxon, a former civil servant, first came to prominence in 2004 when he made claims that key checks were waived by immigration staff in Sheffield to make the numbers coming to Britain seem less dramatic when the EU expanded.

He told BBC Radio Sheffield he had been "amicably" removed as a candidate but remained a member of UKIP.

He said: "I would stress that I do not in any way agree with Anders Breivik's actions.

"In the unlikely event I get elected I guess I would be an independent at least for a while."

In a statement, UKIP said: "We note that Steve Moxon has not condoned the actions of the maniac Breivik.

"However, he has made a number of remarks on subjects such as the Breivik manifesto and Islam that are at odds with UKIP policy and perspective."

Mr Moxon posted the comments on his blog last August. UKIP said it was unaware of the remarks when it selected him as a candidate, as it would have taken an "inordinate amount of time" to read everything written by prospective candidates during the vetting procedure.