UKIP’S candidate in Banffshire and Buchan Coast boasted of being a racist just days after a Labour MP was murdered in the street by a white supremacist.
In a tweet on June 21, 2016, Dennis Mortimer told followers: “Not a lot to say today except I am English, White, a Racist, over and OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT Goodnight you beautiful people.”
Three days earlier Jo Cox had been killed by right-wing terrorist Thomas Mair.
He shot her twice in the head and once in the chest with a sawn-off .22 hunting rifle before stabbing her 15 times.
As he stabbed the mum of two, he was heard saying “this is for Britain ... keep Britain independent ... Britain first”, the court heard.
The MP died shortly afterwards in the back of an ambulance, despite emergency surgery. The tweet was also just two days before the UK voted in the Brexit referendum.
Mortimer was announced as the candidate for Banffshire and Buchan Coast just before Christmas. The retired HGV driver, who was born in Birmingham but now lives in Fraserburgh, said he was trying to enter politics to provide a future for his nine grandchildren.
“I am passionate about preserving the Union and free speech and see Ukip as the only political party with common sense policies to provide a future for my grandchildren,” he said.
Other messages on his social media includes tweets in support of Anne Marie Walters, who is the leader of the Tommy Robinson-linked far-right, anti-Islam For Britain Party.
In another post, he referred to Muslims as animals.
Labour MSP Neil Findlay said the party needed to kick Mortimer off the ballot paper.
He said: “Here we have a Ukip candidate proudly proclaiming that he is a racist. There is no place for bigoted white supremacists in our politics – he should be sacked as a candidate immediately.”
Neither Ukip or Mortimer responded to The National’s request for a comment.
Ukip are on the margins of electoral politics in Scotland, far removed from their peak in the last decade when David Coburn was the party’s representative in Brussels.
At the 2019 General Election, their seven candidates mustered just 3303 votes between them.
The only other Holyrood hopeful announced by Ukip so far is Christopher Ho. He’ll be contesting Glasgow Pollok, the seat currently held by Humza Yousaf.
Originally from Singapore and now living in Glasgow, Ho is a GP based in Maryhill. He said he was inspired to stand because he “abhors” the Scottish Government’s Hate Crime legislation.
Ukip – whose main policy for the 2021 election is to scrap the Scottish Parliament – has lost many of their supporters and members to Nigel Farage’s new Reform UK.
The party is planning on contesting all eight regions in Scotland and are led by former Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne.
Terrorist Mair was given a whole life sentence for murdering Jo Cox.
Her husband read a statement to the court in which he paid tribute to his wife and said the family had no interest in her killer.
“We feel nothing but pity for him; that his life was so devoid of love that his only way of finding meaning was to attack a defenceless woman who represented the best of our country in an act of supreme cowardice.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel