| Author (Person) | Banks, Martin |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.35, 14.10.04 |
| Publication Date | 14/10/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Martin Banks Date: 14/10/04 THE eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party has threatened to take legal action after a pro-European group this week published a controversial report about UKIP's alleged ties with several far-right political groups. The 15-page report, '25 things you didn't know when you voted for UKIP', claims that the party has links with groups such as the British National Party (BNP), the National Front and the New Britain Party. It says that in the European elections in June, UKIP had a tacit agreement with the BNP not to stand against its candidates in certain wards. The report, published by the Britain in Europe group and written by UK Labour MEP Richard Corbett, also claims that UKIP's membership includes former members of extreme-right groups. It highlights the UKIP's pronouncements on subjects ranging from immigration to women's rights and analyzes the "dubious" histories of UKIP's leading activities, as well as the "appalling" record of its MEPs in Parliament. UKIP scored an unprecedented success in the European elections, quadrupling its tally of MEPs from three to 12 and pushing the Liberal Democrats into fourth place by capturing 17% of the vote. Its spokesman, Mark Croucher, said the party was considering taking legal action and claimed that many of the allegations in the report were libellous. "It is noticeable that Mr Corbett has not chosen to produce 25 reasons for staying in the EU. Had he done so, he might have struggled to get beyond more than a couple of reasons." The group stood by the report, which Corbett said had been "carefully referenced and double checked". He said: "The views expressed by UKIP's representatives range from the sickening to the risible to the downright bizarre. This report exposes them for what they really are." The eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party threatened to take legal action after a pro-European group this week published a controversial report about UKIP's alleged ties with several far-right political groups. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Countries / Regions | United Kingdom |
