UKIP Uncovered

UKIP Uncovered
What motivates the leaders of the United Kingdom Independence Party?

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Howard's Speech, UKIP, Farage, Lecomber and The Times

We have touched upon Farage's photograph with Mark Deavin of the BNP many times on this blog, most recently just two days ago with a post titled 'Should Farage have been 'Permanently Terminated' for the Deavin Lunch?. In the photograph taken following that meeting, was Tony Lecomber, today singled out in Michael Howard's Burnley speech (both obtainable by scrolling down the page), as follows:-

He is not alone in his Party in having criminal convictions. Tony Lecomber, the Director of Group Development, has convictions under the Explosives Act. He was also imprisoned for wounding a Jewish teacher whom he beat up on the day of the BNP's annual conference in 1990.

We can quote the correction issues as obtained from the paper regarding Farage and Lecomber:

The Times article of 8th June 1999 Page 20 'I would advise people voting on Thursday to help the Tory revival. It may be the one useful thing to emerge from this useless election';Comment;Opinion ALAN SKED FEATURES

Headline: Nigel Farage; Correction Issue Date: Wednesday July 21, 1999
Page: 2 In an article (June 5) we said that Nigel Farage, chairman of the UK Independence Party, and Member of the European Parliament for the South East Region, had been in contact with political extremists in the British National Party. We now understand that in 1997 Mr Farage briefly met a former UKIP member who had defected to the BNP, at that individual's request, to discuss his defection. We are happy to take the opportunity to set the record straight.

The paper then continues with the Sked article which still contains this section:

All this, however, pales into insignificance compared with the other charge now overshadowing UKIP, namely that its national chairman, Nigel Farage, has been in contact with political extremists in the British National Party, including one who has written an anti-Semitic tract, and one who has served two prison terms, one for stabbing a Jewish gentlemen. Mr Farage it emerges was actually photographed with both, one of whom I personally expelled from UKIP. However, Mr Farage, from the report in Saturday's Times, can give no credible account of how the photograph was taken. It remains, he says, "a mystery" to him. When this photograph was circulated to the UKIP national executive last November, it decided to take no action. Instead, it placed Mr Farage - who at one point had attempted unsuccessfully to get former National Front members accepted as UKIP candidates and office-holders- at the very top of its candidates' list for the South-East region in the Euro-elections. In my day he would have been expelled for failing to supply a credible explanation.

Also from the archives of that newspaper is this correction and relevant passage:-

Editio 5L SAT 05 JUN 1999, Page 7 BNP link allegation hits Euro party;Election;European ANDREW PIERCE HOME NEWS

Headline: Nigel Farage; Correction Issue Date: Wednesday July21 1999
Page 2 In an article (june 5) we said that Nigel Farage, chairman of the UK Independence party, and Member of the European Parliament for the South East Region, had been in contact with extremists in the British National Party. We now understand that in 1997 Mr Farage briefly met a former UKIP member who had defected to the BNP, at that individual's request, to discuss his defection. We are happy to take the opportunity to set the record straight.

The archived records of the newspaper which again we have purchased then continues as follows:

THE United Kingdom Independence Party, which is expected to win at least one seat in the European Elections next week, was yesterday dangerously split with allegations of far right infiltration. Michael Holmes, the wealthy leader of UKIP, has rebuked Nigel Farage, the party's best hope of winning a seat, for being photographed meeting the head of research of the extreme British National Party. A copy of the photograph was passed anonymously to The Times. It showed Mr Farage, 35, a commodities broker, in conversation with Mark Deavin who was exposed on Central Television's Cook Report as the author of an anti-Semitic pamphlet, Mind-Benders. It listed the names of Jews working in the British media. Mr Deavin, who had apparently infiltrated UKIP to pass on information about its work to the BNP, was forced to resign his teaching job at Buckingham University. A third person in the photograph, taken in June 1997, is Tony Lecomber, a BNP member, who has served two prison sentences. He was jauled for three years in 1986 for possession of explosives and for three years in 1991 for an assault on a Jewish schoolteacher. Mr Farage, who confirmed he had been pictured with Mr Deavin, denied he met Mr Lecomber. "I have no recollection of ever meeting Tony Lecomber. I do not know him. I have never met him. I am at a mystery to explain how he got in the photograph. I have been stitched up," he said. The existence of the photograph came as it emerged the BNP, formed out the ruins of the old National Front, has described UKIP as the second best political party in Britain. It also singled out Mr Farage for praise in Spearhead, the party newsletter, a few months before the photographed meeting took place. UKIP's membership application form, which used to include a lengthy section on anti-racism, has been watered down.

WE apologise to The Times for having included such long direct quotes from their paper in this posting and while not wanting to infringe their copyright, felt this was such an important matter to get before the ordinary membership of UKIP, who, as the recent London Branch Chairman's meeting and failure to call an EGM demonstrates, seem to believe that a policy of not 'rocking the boat' until after the European Elections in June will somehow serve the best interests of their party and the country. They could not be more wrong as the Conservative leader so rightly pointed out today.

UKIP members and MEP Candidates should particularly reflect on the date of these attacks in the national press, ie just days before polling in the last Euro elections. What lies ahead for them this coming June with the mass of material available from this blog alone to give every journalist in the land ammunition to launch a barrage of justifiable criticism at UKIP.

Beware the siren voices murmuring, "Don't split the anti-EU vote". The danger for UKIP today is that a vote for them could become to be seen as a vote for racism!

It is Well Past Time to oust Farage, Lott, Knapman, Titford, Clark, and Nattrass! The electorate will otherwise most probably decide that it is deservedly well past time to oust the UKIP!

posted by Martin |3:09 PM