New UKIP leader who opposes same-sex marriage names gay MEP as his deputy

Paul Nuttall has become UKIP’s new leader. The former deputy leader and MEP won 62.2 per cent of the vote, easily beating his closest rival, former deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans, who won just 19.3 per cent of UKIP members’ support.

Despite gay UKIP MEP Peter Whittle bowing out of the race to throw his support behind Nuttall, the new leader’s views on LGBT+ equality leave a lot to be desired. In 2015, when he was deputy leader, he openly courted anti-LGBT parts of the Catholic Church, promoting his party’s opposition to marriage equality as a reason to vote.

According to The Tablet, he said: “On moral issues, we, more than any other political party, are more in line with Catholic thought.

“Whether it’s on gender-choice, abortion or same-sex marriage, we are absolutely 100 per cent behind the Catholic Church.”

The new leader also blasted Labour calls to ensure sex and relationship lessons are LGBT-inclusive, including “age-appropriate” lessons from key stage one, in 2015.

Nuttall said: “Children deserve their innocence, which is precious and already under attack from every direction. It needs to be protected not defiled by those tasked with their care.

“Rather than helping tackle problems of domestic violence and rape in future years, as given as another woolly reason for introduction, it is going to confuse and worry these little children.

“Currently such lessons are only given to children of secondary-school age and that is the way is should remain. It is the preserve of parents who think their children are ready for basic sex education at an earlier age to inform them.”

Despite a long history of anti-LGBT+ views, Nuttall has appointed gay MEP Peter Whittle as his deputy. Whittle, who previously stood for UKIP in the London mayoral election earlier this year, said he was “delighted” with the decision.

I am delighted to be appointed @UKIP Deputy Leader by the newly elected Leader @paulnuttallukip.

— Peter Whittle AM (@prwhittle) November 28, 2016

Nuttall has previously backed one of former leader Nigel Farage’s most controversial campaign moments from the 2015 general election, which called for HIV+ non-Brits to be barred from entering the country.

“Our borders are frighteningly lax and it’s not just illegal immigrants coming in that cause major problems, but transmittable diseases,” the new leader said.

“Although we have sympathy for those with HIV/AIDS, people from abroad with life-threatening long-term illnesses place an unacceptable burden on the taxpayer-funded NHS and we all know the pressure it is under.

“We should introduce systems similar rules to those in Australia and Canada where long-term admission is basically barred if migrants health conditions are considered a danger to public health or safety or would cause excessive demand on the health-care system.

“Those are sensible measures. We are an overcrowded island and have a duty to protect those who live here,” he concluded.

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