UKIP deputy leader: We want the votes of anti-gay marriage Catholics
UKIP is the natural home for Catholic voters who are angry over same-sex marriage and other social reforms, deputy leader Paul Nuttall has claimed.
The Tablet reports Mr Nuttall, a practising Catholic and MEP for the North West, said the “statistics” proved he was right.
“Twelve percent of Catholics have already indicated that they are going to vote, or have already voted, UKIP,” Mr Nuttall 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 percent behind the Catholic Church.”
UKIP migration spokesman Steven Woolfe said: “When we meet the Catholic Bishops on Thursday in London we shall say that UKIP as a party has defended religious freedom against aggressive secularism and the traditional definition of marriage while the legacy parties have all legalised gay marriage.
“We have stood up for the right of parents to educate their children in their religion of choice as long as it does not preach hatred or violence, and advocated the benign tolerance of Judeo-Christian values as the basis for a shared civic space in Britain.
“We defend the innocence of young kids against enforced early sexual education and oppose the EU trying to stop Christian schools in Britain employing Christian teachers to support their religious ethos.”
Mr Woolfe also highlighted UKIP’s record on the right-to-life, saying: “UKIP MPs voted against gender selection abortion while all other parties were split.”
He added: “We believe once the bishops hear what UKIP actually has to say, any reticence they may have will evaporate.”
