Anti-gay ex-UKIP abortion row candidate defeated in By-election

A prospective UKIP candidate, who described same-sex marriage as an “abhorrence”, and was then suspended by the party for his outspoken views on abortion, has been defeated in a Kent council By-election.

Geoffrey Clark came second in a vote held on Thursday for Gravesham Borough Council and Kent County Council (KCC).

The ballot papers still listed him as a UKIP candidate, but the party said on Tuesday that if elected he would not serve as a UKIP councillor.

Mr Clark had called for an NHS review to look at compulsory abortion of foetuses with Down’s syndrome or spina bifida.

Mencap, the learning disability charity, said it was “disgusted and horrified” at the implications of the manifesto.

However, Mr Clark said on his website he did not endorse the ideas on abortion but was making suggestions to cut the national debt.

Last week, leader Nigel Farage, said the issue of equal marriage could “rip apart” the Conservative Party, and he promised to exploit the division among Tories for the benefit of UKIP.

Meanwhile, November’s By-election in Croydon North was mired in controversy after Winston McKenzie, UKIP’s failed prospective parliamentary candidate, stated that gay people should not be allowed to adopt children.

In the end, Mr McKenzie lost the election to Labour’s Steve Reed, a gay former south London councillor.

• Oct 11

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