Nigel Farage once sought the endorsement of former Conservative MP Enoch Powell, who is infamous for his 1968 'rivers of blood' speech warning against immigration. Letters discovered in a university archive by The Telegraph reveal that Farage unsuccessfully requested Powell's backing in 1994, and Ukip later twice asked Powell to stand as a candidate for the party.
Farage has long expressed admiration for Powell, calling him a political hero. While acknowledging that Powell was wrong about the inability of different nationalities and races to mix, Farage has maintained that the central thrust of Powell's arguments on immigration remains valid.
On Thursday night, comedian and campaigner Russell Brand accused Farage of being a 'pound shop Enoch Powell' who needs to be watched carefully. Powell was sacked from the shadow cabinet after his 1968 speech, in which he warned against Commonwealth immigration and new race relations laws, famously saying, 'Like the Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber foaming with much blood.'
Powell left the Conservative Party in 1974 over its decision to join the European Economic Area and later won a seat in Northern Ireland for the Ulster Unionists. A Ukip aide stated that Farage sought Powell's endorsement due to his eurosceptic stance, not his views on immigration.
