Priti Patel's Ukip candidate father says: 'They are not a racist party'
The father of a rising star Conservative MP is standing as a candidate for the eurosceptic UK Independence Party in Thursday’s local elections.
6:30PM BST 30 Apr 2013
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Sushil Patel, 64, whose daughter is Witham Tory MP Priti Patel, is fighting a council seat in Hertfordshire.
Mr Patel’s candidature was disclosed by Ukip leader Nigel Farage during a rally in David Miliband’s former South Shields constituency, ahead of a by-election there on Thursday.
In an interview with The Telegraph shortly afterwards, Mr Patel insisted Ukip was not a party which tolerated racism, despite criticism of some of its candidates' comments in recent days.
He said: “Ukip is not a racist party – it is daylight coming through the darkness hours of this country... I joined a year ago because I had been watching it. Ukip is not racist – they are trying to make progress.
"The only problem they have is they have not got a big major fund providers, donations are coming – progress they have made is good."
Mr Patel, who emigrated from east Africa, added: "If you look at how many communities have settled here – they made their home. If it was genuinely racist it would be chaos by now. I am an example of it, not just me but all the East African Asians, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, from Rhodesia.”
He added: “The eye opener came after 2004 when the British jobs for British people were going away – we expect our jobs for our people. The British people are intelligent, this is a warm country, the only country in the world which is not racist.
Mr Patel said he was standing for elderly people who live locally and who “don’t make a noise publicly, but given the chance on a ballot paper they will speak out”.
He said that he had not told Priti about his plans: “She doesn’t know anything about it – I don’t see why she should know. She is an independent person, on her own course. I had no reason really [to tell her] – I am an independent person myself.
“I am very proud of what she has achieved – she was a local Conservative here in Hertfordshire. It is up to her to accept it because I know she is a Eurosceptic.”
Conservative MP Priti Patel
However shortly after the interview, and while his photograph was being taken by a Telegraph photographer outside his home in Hertfordshire, he said he was suddenly standing down from the election
Mr Patel was called inside to take a phone call and emerged 10 minutes later, saying that he was “withdrawing his candidacy” from the elections, and pointing to his bad back.
The announcement appeared to catch Ukip unawares. Ninety minutes later, the party issued a statement which stressed that Mr Patel was still a candidate, adding that he was “currently convalescing from a recent serious operation and is unable to conduct any further interviews”.
Mr Patel said in Ukip's statement: “I am proud of being a Ukip candidate and very proud of the achievements of my daughter who represents the people of Witham in an exemplary fashion.
"My views are my own and I am astonished that there has been quite so much interest in my candidacy.”
On Tuesday evening Priti Patel denied that she had pressured her father to stand down as a Ukip candidate. She told The Telegraph: “I have spoken to my Dad and I told him it was up to him what he does.
“My Dad was in hospital for major surgery on his back, which is why I am so shocked because I thought he was at home recovering. No matter what, whatever the outcome of this, he is still my Dad and I still love him. Nothing will change that, not even Ukip.”
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