UKIP refuses to bow to Tory demands

UKIP candidate Nigel Farage joined his election agent Stephen Allison to deliver a firm response to Tory candidate Bob Neill's attempts to prevent the truth about his policy platform appearing on billboards across the constituency.

Mr Neill's agent, Andrew Lee, has issued a string of legal threats claiming that the posters, which clearly outline Mr Neill's policy platform, are 'untrue and defamatory', and had given UKIP until 4pm today to remove them. The posters stated, correctly, that Mr Neill supports European Union, high taxes and unlimited immigration.

Nigel and Stephen visited the Conservative offices at 3:59pm, and handed over a letter which reads as follows:

"As you state, Mr Neill is the Conservative Candidate in the Bromley and Chislehurst by-election. As a candidate for your party, he is committed to the United Kingdom remaining within the European Union. This necessarily means that he supports the European Union. Since the rules of the European Union require that the United Kingdom place no limit on immigration from the European Union this equally necessarily means that he supports unlimited immigration. Mr Farage considers that taxation in the United Kingdom is excessively and unnecessarily high. He also understands it to be your party’s policy not to cut taxation if returned to power in the near future and certainly not to a level that he would consider to be moderate or low. Accordingly, Mr.Farage considers that by supporting Conservative taxation policy, Mr Neill supports high taxation.

Of course, if it is Mr.Neill's position that he opposes the policies of the Conservative party for which he stands as a candidate and supports immediate withdrawal from the European Union and the institution of a system of fair taxation regardless of his party’s current policy, then Mr.Farage unreservedly apologises and congratulates Mr.Neill on his good sense. However, if Mr Neill supports his party’s policies, Mr.Farage considers his own campaign literature to be entirely accurate and truthful. It follows in that event that Mr.Farage will not provide you with the undertaking required and will firmly resist any proceedings that you may care to issue."

Bromley UKIP