A Conservative MP has told the chairman of UKIP in his area to “grow up” after being asked to apologise for characterising the party as “extremists”.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Cotswolds MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said that MPs must listen to the public on immigration, but implied that UKIP’s position on the subject was beyond the pale.
He said: “If we do not listen to our electorates, who are telling us that the pace of change is too fast, we will all be in trouble and we will increasingly find extremist parties such as UKIP winning a greater share of the vote.2
The Gloucestershire Echo reports that Clifton-Brown’s statement angered Chris Harlow, chairman of UKIP’s Cotswold branch, who wrote to the MP demanding a retraction.
“In the House of Commons on Wednesday, you referred to UKIP as ‘extremist’ in your contribution to the debate on the Queen’s Speech,” he wrote.
“Such a description of my party is unfair and inaccurate, and is certainly not based on any understanding of our current policies. I therefore call on you to publicly apologise for your intemperate remark.
“I should remind you that some 7,000 of your constituents voted for UKIP just two weeks ago, and they feel insulted by their MP’s dismissal of their genuine concerns in this way.”
Mr Clifton-Brown refused to apologise, however, and stoked the row further by telling the Gloucestershire Echo: “This is all part of the rough and tumble of politics. There are extremist elements within Ukip and that has to be faced up to.
“I just think this is all part of the hurly burly of politics and he should grow up.”
Clifton-Brown has a mixed record on Europe. Although he did not vote in favour of a rebel motion for an EU referendum on 2011, he did vote for one last year after it had become official government policy.
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