Ukip battles bureaucracy and green power

Mr Farage is on a two-week nationwide bus tour as he attempts to build on recent successes of his party, once deemed to be on the fringes of mainstream politics, ahead of next month’s local elections.

He visited both Scarborough and Harrogate yesterday in what are expected to be his only stop-offs in Yorkshire during the whistle-stop tour. During his visit to Scarborough, he claimed the region’s traditional industries such as fishing are dying while taxpayers fund windfarms and incinerator schemes and support unnecessary jobs created by bureaucracy.

He said: “Fishing is the passion of my life. I’m from a family of fanatical sea anglers so I have the deepest sympathy for the commercial industry.

“Coming to Scarborough, I’m desperately sad to see so few boats when there’s a thriving industry just across the water in Norway. The British industry has suffered grievously and we must take back what’s rightfully ours – our territorial waters – and put into place Norway-style conservation measures.”

He accused local authorities of being obsessed with political correctness and green issues such as alternative energy schemes, which have seen a wave of wind farms built in Yorkshire.

Mr Farage added: “Even if global warming is happening, windfarms will do nothing to stop it. It will just take money out of people’s pockets and put it into the pockets of wealthy land owners whilst also spoiling the countryside.

“There is a feeling county councils are doing what the hell they like and there is far too much political correctness around. Once we get into the county councils we are going to expose how much money is being wasted on climate change officers, diversity officers, diversity training and interpreters.

“But the real scandal is the sheer levels of pay and pensions of senior officers. Working in local government has become like winning the Lottery.”

Ukip is targeting traditionally Tory strongholds such as North Yorkshire, where it is fielding 72 candidates in next month’s elections.