Ukip candidate John Leathley apologises after saying female journalist 'needs a sh*g'

A Ukip candidate standing in Tony Blair’s old seat is facing calls that he be suspended after making "sexist, racist and violent" comments about a well-known female journalist.

John Leathley, Ukip’s parliamentary hopeful in Sedgefield, Co Durham, has apologised after lurid statements that he made on Twitter while Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a journalist who writes for The Independent, was appearing on the BBC’s Question Time programme last November.

The Facebook postings included statements that the commentator “needs a good shag” and to “give one depending on what mood she is in”. Mr Leathley said: “I would like to apologise unreservedly to Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. I read what I wrote now, I am shocked by them and am appalled and deeply ashamed of my words.”

Ms Alibhai-Brown described the comments as “sexist, it’s racist, it’s violent”. Labour’s Phil Wilson who is contesting the seat, wrote on Twitter: “Ukip should sack parliamentary candidate for Sedgefield. His comments against women are obscene and disgusting.”

The development follows the emergence of a video in which another Ukip candidate, Robert Blay, said he would shoot a Tory rival, Ranil Jayawardena, if he became prime minister.

Elsewhere, Elliot Nichols, a Ukip councillor in South West Surrey, announced he would defect back to the Conservatives after admitting a “grave error” in moving to Ukip.