Ukip MP: Party must demonstrate a inclusive face

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell has told his new party it must show an “inclusive” face and not blame immigrants for Britain’s woes if it is to become a serious force.

The ex-Tory, whose by-election crushing of his former party in October has made him one of Ukip’s highest-profile faces, said a dislike of foreigners was “not merely offensive but absurd”.

Efforts by Nigel Farage’s party to shake off claims of unpalatable views in its ranks have been made harder by a string of offensive comments by candidates and other high-profile figures.

It was forced to distance itself from a claim by Kent councillor Trevor Shonk that the established parties “have made the country racist because of the influx” of immigration.

Kerry Smith was axed as a would-be MP after it emerged he mocked gay party members as “poofters”, joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a “peasant hunt”, and referred to someone as a “Chinky bird”.

Farage defended the language, saying Smith was a “rough diamond” council house boy who “speaks in a way that a lot of people from that background do”.

Carswell suggested that unless it showed it was not a party that tolerated such views, Ukip would struggle to convert its rise in popularity into an influential presence at Westminster.