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| Godfrey Bloom quits as UKIP MEP after 'sluts' joke row | Godfrey Bloom quits as UKIP MEP after 'sluts' joke row |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Godfrey Bloom, the politician censured last week for joking that party activists were "sluts", says he is quitting the UKIP group in Europe. | Godfrey Bloom, the politician censured last week for joking that party activists were "sluts", says he is quitting the UKIP group in Europe. |
| In a statement he said he intends to sit in the European Parliament as an independent until the end of his term. | In a statement he said he intends to sit in the European Parliament as an independent until the end of his term. |
| He said he had "felt for some time" the party was no longer for him. | He said he had "felt for some time" the party was no longer for him. |
| The Yorkshire and Humber MEP had the whip removed last week after he was recorded joking about women who did not clean behind their fridges. | The Yorkshire and Humber MEP had the whip removed last week after he was recorded joking about women who did not clean behind their fridges. |
| 'Messages of goodwill' | |
| He said he would retain his party membership but would not be bound to vote with the party. | He said he would retain his party membership but would not be bound to vote with the party. |
| His statement said: "I have felt for some time now that the 'New UKIP' is not really right for me, any more, perhaps, than New Labour was right for the Dennis 'The beast of Bolsover' Skinner." | |
| He said it had been a "pleasure" to work with the party's "loyal membership" for 15 years. | He said it had been a "pleasure" to work with the party's "loyal membership" for 15 years. |
| And he thanked "the thousands of people who have supported me with messages of goodwill in the recent months and particularly in recent days". | And he thanked "the thousands of people who have supported me with messages of goodwill in the recent months and particularly in recent days". |
| The controversial politician was criticised recently when he referred to "bongo-bongo land". | |
| But he had the whip removed - suspending him from taking part in formal party business - after leader Nigel Farage said he had "overshadowed" UKIP's annual conference. | |
| He was heard joking that a group of female UKIP activists who did not clean behind their fridges were "all sluts". | He was heard joking that a group of female UKIP activists who did not clean behind their fridges were "all sluts". |
| The joke prompted loud laughter at the "women in politics" conference fringe meeting. | |
| 'Laugh occasionally' | |
| Speaking to journalists afterwards, Mr Bloom said he was using the word "sluts" as it was originally intended - to refer to women who were not tidy. | |
| When confronted about UKIP campaign literature which allegedly featured no non-white faces, the MEP accused Channel 4 News journalist Michael Crick of being a racist and rapped him around the head with the leaflet. | |
| Party leader Mr Farage said at the weekend Mr Bloom had been doing "his best to garner as many headlines as possible, and you can laugh occasionally". | |
| But he said his colleague's future "doesn't look very good". | |
| Mr Farage was furious that the MEP's latest controversy had distracted from what he had said was an otherwise successful conference. |