Farage: UKIP Not Homophobic, We Have Self-Described ‘Great Big Screaming Poof’ MEP

Nigel Farage has denied UKIP are homophobic by citing David Coburn MEP who describes himself as a “great big screaming poof”. Mr Farage made the comments in his weekly column in the Independent after a sacked UKIP spokesman made a series of homophobic comments.

Viscount Monckton, who Farage fired as Climate Change spokesman last year, claimed to have uncovered research proving gay people had an average of 500 – 1000 sexual partners in their lifetime. He also said that some had managed to top 20,000.

The UKIP leader claimed he had been “vindicated” in sacking Monckton after the comments. Farage said: “I’m not sure where Viscount Monckton is getting his statistics, but to frame these comments as he has is both deeply offensive and fundamentally wrong.

“This sort of disruptive, crass and insensitive work serves to underscore why people with views such as these, openly mocking while seeming oddly threatened by homosexuals, should get no support from Ukippers.

“I’m delighted to say that LGBTQ in Ukip is growing, and thriving, and has over 1,200 Facebook followers. How many other parties have an MEP who describes himself as ‘spectacularly homosexual’ and a ‘great big screaming poof’. David Coburn MEP’s words – not mine!”

David Coburn, who is MEP for Scotland, has been openly gay for a number of years and is famed for his directness. Last month he told the Huffington Post same-sex marriage was “false bollocks” that “makes a mockery of the holy sacrament of marriage”.

He continued: “What you’re doing with the gay marriage issue is you’re rubbing people’s noses in the dirt. Everyone had agreed and been quite happy with the idea of civil partnership, it was all bedded in and people were happy with it, they got used to the idea.”

Viscount Monckton joined UKIP having previously being a Conservative. He worked in the Number 10 policy unit from 1982 – 1986, despite being a peer he has never sat in the House of Lords as he inherited his viscountcy after the 1999 reforms. He has stood in four House of Lords by-elections, securing no votes on each occasion.