Ukip candidate who blamed litter on eastern European migrants is elected to the Welsh Assembly

As Nigel Farage come to terms with his old foe Neil Hamilton’s success in the Welsh elections, there is another new Welsh Ukip Assembly Member who could also prove problematic for party harmony.

Earlier this year, Ukip candidate Gareth Bennett made the news after he blamed increased litter in Cardiff on eastern European migrants. He then appeared on Daily Politics where he admitted that he had no evidence to back up the claim: ‘where would I have gleaned the evidence for? Where is this data kept?’.

While Mr S understands that Ukip’s high command were less than pleased with the interview, Bennett threatened to sue his own party for loss of earnings if they took any steps to deselect him as a result of the row. Happily his comments appear to have caused him little harm. Although Bennett failed in his quest to win the Cardiff West seat — winning just 2,629 votes — he has been voted in — with 23,598 votes — as an Assembly Member for South Wales Central.