BILLIONAIRE Clive Palmer was banned from flying out of Brisbane Airport on Thursday night after he refused to undergo a full body scan.

The political aspirant who boasts his fledgling United Australia Party could see him in the Lodge by Christmas as Prime Minister had a "tantrum'' before boarding an international flight according to witnesses and ultimately refused to undergo the security check or board the flight.



But the businessman has hit back at Brisbane Airport accusing them of setting him up.



"What happened was I went through security initially to catch my private plane,'' he told the Sunday Mail.



But then for unexplained reasons Mr Palmer later decided to catch a domestic flight.



"I'd already gone through security. My staff heard someone say, "here he comes, let's get him.''



"They wanted me to have a full body scan.



"But my doctor has advised that I shouldn't have any further doses of radiation.''



Mr Palmer's late first wife Sue died of cancer after the couple visited Russia shortly after the Chernobyl disaster.

The Queensland mining magnate has long feared that he and his wife were exposed to radiation during the visit.



He questioned why Australian travellers could not choose between a full body scan and a “pat down” check as occurs in some airports overseas.



Shocked travellers who witnessed the exchange have told of extraordinary scenes as the businessman argued with Brisbane Airport staff over the body scan.



"He absolutely went right off. He was abusing people,'' a witness said.



Mr Palmer’s airport clash occurred on Thursday, the same day reports surfaced that the Rudd government may revoke his right to operate a lucrative new port in Western Australia.



Last year, Mr Palmer told the ABC's Australian story about his wife Sue's tragic cancer battle admitting he feared their visits to Russia may have been a contributing factor.



"I think that goes back to a time when we were in Russia and we went and saw Gorbachev and it was just after we were there during the Chernobyl situation, so we were only 1,000 kilometres from Chernobyl, so many people have died in Europe from that experience and I think that might have affected her at the time,'' he said.



"We were in Russia just after the Chernobyl situation, yeah. So that's a sad thing to think, but I think that's what may have happened.''



Mr Palmer was suspended from the Liberal Party late last year after an extraordinary spray against the LNP leadership which promoted Queensland deputy premier Jeff Seeney to dismiss Mr Palmer as a "billionaire having a temper tantrum



Boasting he will win 100 seats at the federal election his UAP party has attracted celebrity candidates including former world champion boxer Barry Michael, retired AFL footballer Doug Hawkins, and rugby league great Glenn Lazarus.



samantha.maiden@news.com.au

