UKIP reinstates party secretary who claimed ‘if you love she-males, come to the UK’
The UK Independence Party has re-instated party secretary Matthew Richardson, who originally resigned from the party amid internal feuding.
Mr Richardson was one of a number of senior figures to leave UKIP following the row over Nigel Farage’s un-resignation as party leader.
He came under scrutiny in January after a recording emerged of a speech he gave to right-wingers in the US, in which he ripped into the National Health Service as “the Reichstag bunker of socialism”, and attacked the provision of gender reassignment surgery.
He ranted: “Socialists think that if somebody wants to reassign their gender the state should pay, they think that’s how the world works. So if you love she-males come to the United Kingdom, if you love freedom – stay here [in the US].”
Mr Richardson later apologised for the comments, saying he was “horrified” by the remarks – but UKIP refused to sack him over the comments. He was let go following the party row, four months later.
However, the party has confirmed that he has now returned.
A UKIP spokesperson told the BBC: “Matt has resumed the role… by law any constituted political party must have a party secretary who is a qualified lawyer.”
The ‘un-firing’ comes after Nigel Farage’s infamous ‘un-resignation’ – when he decided to stay on as UKIP leader days after announcing he would resign.
