Openly Gay UKIP Leader Quits Over Party’s Move to the Far-Right

David Coburn, the openly gay UKIP Member of the European Parliament for Scotland, has announced he’s leaving the party because of its move to the far-right, reports the BBC.

Coburn blamed the “infiltration” of islamophobic far-right nationalists for his resignation in a statement.

“It is with great sadness that after 10 years, I announce my resignation from UKIP,” he wrote.

“We have seen an increase in English Nationalists joining UKIP. As a Unionist, I abhor English Nationalism as much as I abhor Scottish Nationalism.

“The party has been infiltrated by people with an alternative agenda, which is not the one on which I stood when I was elected and sadly, does not represent the values for which UKIP once stood.

“I did not run on an anti-Islam platform. Unfortunately, this seems to be the direction that UKIP is taking – obsessing about this issue to the exclusion of all else at a time when we might lose the Brexit we fought so hard for.”

Coburn follows several other high profile UKIP leaders, including Nigel Farage and Paul Nuttallin leaving the party, of the 24 UKIP MEPs elected in 2016, only nine remain in office and in the party.

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