SO Nigel Farage dismisses his Scottish MEP David Coburn's comparison of a Government minister with a convicted terrorist as a "joke in poor taste" which would not result in any action against him.

However, had Mr Coburn been a UKIP elected representative from south of the border matters would have been different.

That's the view of one prominent UKIP figure who told The Herald his leader is "between a rock and a hard place" over the increasingly maverick Coburn's comparison of the SNP's Humza Yousaf with Abu Hamza.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the UKIP figure said that as the only elected figure the party had in Scotland he was afforded a degree of protection. Keen to promote its 'inclusive' credentials having an openly gay MEP was also a boon for UKIP and another shield for Mr Coburn.

The source said: "The first reflex of our lot is that we run to the defence. We get that many accusations thrown at us and so many of these are unfounded. So we hunker down, then assess the damage amongst ourselves and act accordingly.

"Having representation in all four nations is a big deal for UKIP. The fact Coburn is the representative in Scotland and is gay gives him more political capital than he otherwise would have.

"It puts the boss in an extremely difficult position. He's between a rock and hard place."

But surely Farage feels some heat given the criticism from beyond the expected mainstream political parties?

"How can a party like UKIP be seen to act because the someone in the European Parliament, a body our whole reason for being is about disengaging from, says something?"

In recent months Mr Coburn has referred to the SNP as racist party, said former leader Alex Salmond would be "hanging from a lamppost" if there had been a vote for independence and repeatedly referred to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as "Helmet Hairdo".

He also allegedly persistently mispronounced the name of an Asian rival, the SNP's Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, during last year's European elections.

UKIP Scotland was recently beset by a civil war which saw its many of its previous hierarchy dismissed or resigned. The party source does not believe that had the previous regime been in place things would have been any different.

He said: "The dye was cast when David was elected. He's intolerant of any criticism and his only form of communication is to go on the attack. Has he been racist? He's certainly intended to be offensive. And Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh would certainly have been identified as the main threat to securing a seat, that's certain.

"Scotland isn't a backwater as such but its far away from the focus of our attention and has different politics. Immigration doesn't have the same impact up there. People have concerns but it just doesn't have the same political impact.

"Because it is a different political system its almost too much to concentrate on. It was similar in the north of England and Wales a decade ago.

"What many in the party in Scotland will find its that its very difficult in transforming yourselves from court jesters to serious politicians."