At its most successful, Ukip ostentatiously rejected the support of the far-right. Its current leadership’s very public embrace of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League (whose members are banned from joining Ukip), is a mark of just how far it has fallen.
Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley Lennon – has been jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after streaming an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds Crown Court. Gerard Batten, Ukip’s leader, is very angry indeed.
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
