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UKIP anti-gay councillor won’t quit and says like the Queen: ‘I hope I love all men’

Jan 20 2014
Written by Scott Roberts

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

UKIP Councillor David Silvester has made a truly bizarre statement explaining why he has no intention of standing down over his claims that equal marriage is responsible for recent flooding.

In a previous letter to the Henley Standard, his local paper, David Silvester claimed that allowing gay couples to marry would lead to flooding and that David Cameron ignored his warning.

He said Mr Cameron had acted “arrogantly against the Gospel”.

“People are entitled to have religious opinions and I’ve always been pretty liberal about that,” UKIP leader Nigel Farage told the BBC’s World at One programme on Monday afternoon. “I don’t know Mr Silvester but I understand that he is a practicing Baptist, that he’s very strongly opposed to gay marriage and I understand and respect that. People should have the right to hold that view.

“However, linking it in with the bad weather is heading towards the barmy edge”.

When challenged if he had shown weak leadership in not disciplining Mr Silvester sooner, Mr Farage replied: “The truth of the story is that he made those comments, I was less than happy with them, I’ve sent him a message to say ‘look. Don’t agree with you, I think this is really rather silly.” The UKIP leader told Mr Silvester to “please desist” in order to avoid bring the party into “disrepute”. But the councillor “went on repeating it”.

On Monday evening, the Henley Standard carried a new statement by Mr Silvester.

The former Tory, who quit the party over equal marriage, said: “The Conservatives are known as the party of the Queen. The Queen in her coronation oath promised to only to pass those laws that are consistent with the Christian gospel. There is a command to love all men and I hope I love all men but we are also taught to love the person but hate the sin.”

“As regards resigning from UKIP, I still have not been informed personally that I have been suspended and until I am I shall regard myself as a fully paid-up member of the party, to whom I recently made a £170 party donation.

“As regards resigning as a town councillor, I was elected for a four-year term of office, and I have every intention of continuing to work hard for the people of Henley in that capacity. If UKIP no longer require my services, my intention will be to serve as an independent.”

Mr Farage has also agreed for the first time to participate in a question and answer session with PinkNews readers ahead of May’s European election.

Questions can be submitted here.