The chairman of Swindon’s UKIP branch has stepped down in protest of the candidacy of Carl Benjamin in the European elections.

Aubrey Attwater says he remains a member of the party,m and is still standing as its candidate in Thursday’s local election in the Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward - but he said the way the party is moving is not to his taste,

Mr Attwater said: “I still believe in the basics of UKIP, and I think the party will change, so I’m staying a member. I think it has to change. I think Gerard Batten will be replaced with a new leader, and I think characters like Carl Benjamin will disappear as soon as he’s not making money.

“I see him as a Svengali - he’s clearly very intelligent and good at picking the right word to manipulate people but I don’t think he’s trustworthy at all.”

Mr Attwater’s resignation is the second in just a few days due to the national party adopting Mr Benjamin, who lives in Swindon and uses the pseudonym Sargon of Akkad on his YouTube channel, as its candidate in the May 23 European Elections

The south west regional organiser Richard Ford, based in Gloucestershire went as far as to leave the party over the issue last week.

Mr Benjamin first hit the headlines when UKIP's party leader was forced to defend his online comment to Labour MP Jess Phillips that he "wouldn't even rape her".

Later a video emerged of Mr Benjamin using several racial and homophobic slurs and the latest news is that police are looking into a video of a conversation he had with another YouTuber Justicar about child sexual abuse.

MORE NEWS: UKIP's Carl Benjamin claims criticism over child sex comments is just "jealousy" from other party members

Mr Attwater has previously called for Mr Benjamin to be de-selected as the candidate by the party.

He told the Advertiser: "I think Gerard Batten at first made the party more democratic, but now it's moving against democracy when it selects candidates like this."

Mr Benjamin said he didn't feel that he was becoming a distraction to the party and bringing it more trouble than warranted: " I don't believe that. I believe that a changing of the guard is necessary.

"I'm just sorry that so many of the older members don't understand how bad the media has become - people like Aubrey have a level of residual trust that the media no longer deserves."

UKIP's national leadership has been contacted for comment.

Mr Attwater's opponents in Gorse Hill and Pinehurst are John Ballman (Labour) Andy Bentley (green) and Adam John (Conservative)