Ukip MEP candidate Carl Benjamin says he ‘might’ rape Labour MP Jess Phillips Jess Phillips has called for the Electoral Commission to impose ‘standards’ on political candidates after the comments from Carl Benjamin

Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin has made a second set of comments about Labour MP Jess Phillips, after the party rejected calls to sack him.

In April, UK Independence Party leader Gerard Batten had resisted pressure to sack Mr Benjamin as a European elections candidate after he claimed on social media he “wouldn’t even rape” Ms Phillips.

The candidate addressed controversy over his comments in a videos posted to his Sargon of Akkad YouTube channel, which has more than 950,000 subscribers.

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Rape comments

He said: “There’s been an awful lot of talk about whether I would or wouldn’t rape Jess Phillips. I’ve been in a lot of trouble for my hardline stance of not even raping her.

“I suppose with enough pressure I might cave. But let’s be honest, nobody’s got that much beer.”

Mr Benjamin, who is a candidate in the European elections in the South West England region, said that the claim was an “obvious joke”, describing journalists who quoted his comments as “habitual and congenital liars.”

Mr Benjamin, 39, added: “I think I might just be an edgy boy on the internet.”

Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Ms Phillips said: “I don’t really know what to say, as someone who works still every day with victims of rape the idea that it is funny or a joke to hear someone saying that that if forced they would rape me.

“There is a childish misunderstanding that rape is about sex rather than power and violence.

“The Electoral Commission should surely have standards about who can and can’t stand for election. If Facebook and Twitter can ban these people for hate speech how is it they are allowed to stand for election?”

UKIP candidate used racist and homophobic slurs

It was previously revealed that Mr Benjamin had a history of using homophobic and racist slurs in online videos, including using the n-word.

Addressing Jewish people in one YouTube video, he said: “I’m sorry about the Holocaust, but I don’t give a shit.”

Speaking on the BBC’s Politics Live on 30 April, Mr Batten rejected calls to sack the candidate.

The idea that it is funny or a joke to hear someone saying that that if forced they would rape me Jess Phillips MP

He said: “He wasn’t making a joke about rape, he was making a remark of non-intent because he knew that would goad somebody into complaining, because they complain about everything.

“He’s trying to campaign to retain free speech on the internet and on alternative media. I personally wouldn’t make a remark like that, but he is running a free speech forum.”

Mr Batten added: “He had an issue with that MP, because when Philip Davies tried to get a committee to look at the problem of male suicide… she was sneering and laughing at it. She was also trying to close down free speech on the internet.”

Ukip has seen an exodus of senior figures under Mr Batten’s leadership, with former leader Nigel Farage hitting out at Mr Batten’s association with former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson.

Ukip has been approached for comment.