UKIP MEP says homophobic, anti-Islam extremists have hijacked party

UKIP MEP William Dartmouth has announced his resignation—claiming the party has been “hijacked” by homophobic, anti-Islamic extremists.

The MEP for South West England, who has represented the pro-Brexit party in the European Parliament since 2009, announced on Wednesday he has resigned his membership in protest of the party’s changing stances.

Under leader Gerard Batten, the party has lurched hard to the far-right, standing accused of admitting members with links to white supremacist groups.

Lord Dartmouth MEP (Creative Commons)

On September 21 the party unveiled a manifesto vowing to gut LGBT rights protections and ban LGBT-inclusive education in primary schools, with a senior official describing inclusive education as “child abuse.”

In his resignation letter, Dartmouth claimed the party had been “hijacked” by extremists and said that the party has become “widely perceived as both homophobic and anti-Islamic.”

According to Sky News, he said: “At a time when our founding cause of leaving the EU is at risk, you have chosen instead to campaign against Islam as a religion.

“You associate yourself, and therefore UKIP, with outlandish people and extreme right-wing groups.”

He added: “The work of all those who worked so hard in their support of Brexit is being devalued. To put it simply, you have hijacked the UK Independence Party.

“That is not the UKIP that I joined. It is not the UKIP that nearly four million people voted for in the previous general election.”

In a response shared with Guido Fawkes, Batten wrote: “Thank you for your letter of resignation. I have received this without regret,” signing off “toodle pip.”