A FORMER UKIP candidate who quit the party claiming the Scottish branch was riddled with sectarianism and racism has joined the Tories.
Jonathan Stanley, former head of UKIP's policy in Scotland, attended the launch of the Scottish Conservatives general election campaign yesterday, where he launched a scathing attack on his former party.
He said that while Nigel Farage had been an inspiration to him, he could not support the UKIP leader's decision to back MEP David Coburn following comments he made about SNP minister Humza Yousaf.
Mr Coburn, UKIP's only elected representative in Scotland, allegedly said to a journalist ''Humza Yousaf, or as I call him, Abu Hamza," in reference to the convicted terrorist and hate preacher. Mr Farage dismissed the comments as "a joke in poor taste".
Mr Stanley, an Edinburgh-based doctor, said the UK leadership of UKIP were "blissfully clueless" about Scotland's role in the union and that the party was calling for the Barnett Formula to be scrapped to create division within the UK.
He added: "If you're a United Kingdom you can't favour one nation over another. The swerve towards English nationalism is worrying at a time that a lot of parties in Scotland are trying to make a positive case for the union.
"UKIP have chosen not to take Scotland seriously. Scotland is seen by them as a province to be quietened, not a nation to be engaged. You can see the Conservative Party really engaging with devolution, I don't think that's going to happen in UKIP where the vision is to get seven per cent of the population, at the risk of upsetting the other 93 per cent, and maybe getting a few nice jobs in Holyrood."
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