A UKIP Scotland official who said Glasgow City Council is for "gays, catholics and communists" has been given a publicly funded job by a party MEP.
Misty Thackeray has been appointed chief of staff to newly-elected David Coburn, who was elected to the Brussels Parliament in May despite internal ructions.
Six of the nine shortlisted Ukip hopefuls withdrew from an internal contest, a row that cast a shadow over Coburn's legitimacy as the top candidate.
Thackeray became embroiled in a row over comments on the social media site Facebook. In 2011, he wrote: "No wonder the blue half of my city say G.C.C actually stands for the Glasgow Celtic Council for Gays Catholics Communists eh.lol. NS!". In 2012, he wrote: "You have to witness a Glasgow election count night to understand the extent of islamist influence within the SNP and Labour … last time out I thought we were contesting a seat in Pakistan.lol."
Despite the furore, Coburn has given his friend the top job in his office.
MEPs have a maximum staffing budget of £16,620 a month. At a recent referendum event in Glasgow, Coburn admitted he had not yet held any surgeries in Scotland.
Coburn said of his hiring decision: "Misty's comments were based on concerns that Glasgow council was giving that sort of impression, and he believed the council could be doing more to challenge those perceptions. He is misunderstood."
Coburn declined to comment on his salary banding.
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