Nigel Farage defends 'offensive' UKIP comedian

Nigel Farage has stood by a comedian who cracked a string of gags targeting foreigners at a UKIP event.

Comic Paul Eastwood targeted Indians, Muslims and Poles in his routine at a gala dinner at the end of the party’s spring conference.

While the content might not be a huge surprise given UKIP’s reputation, the routine was witnessed by a Sunday Mirror journalist.

The newspaper today reported that Eastwood went down a storm with gags such as:

• Poland did well [in the Olympics]. They took home bronze, silver, gold, lead, copper – anything they could get their hands on.

• Any Midlands people here? Wonderful! My favourite accent is a Midlands accent – and then put on an Asian voice. He then impersonated a Islamic call to prayer, mocking it as a ‘traditional Midlands folk song’.

• He told told three Asian women at the party, held at the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay, that they ‘looked a little bit lost’.

Eastwood initially complained about ‘bloody political correctness’ and claimed: ‘I’m under strict instructions about what I can and can’t say tonight’ – though he didn’t seem too restricted in his 45-minute set.

The Mirror reported that Mr Farage ‘roared with laughter’ at the gags – but he later told the Telegraph that he did not hear the jokes and left the dinner shortly after the comedian started his set.

However he warned about ‘killing’ humour and political correctness stopping comics from earning a living.

He said: ‘I'm not going to comment on individual jokes, but I think we're in huge danger here. This was a guy telling jokes about national stereotypes, not racial stereotypes. We are heading down a road here where we would kill all humour in this country if we tear things to pieces.

‘Enough is enough, let people tell their jokes. If what they say is inappropriate they won't earn a living because they won't get booked again.’

Eastwood’s website boasts of his successful career on cruise ships, corporate gigs and TV warm-ups. His latest DVD is called Don’t Shoot: I’m Only The Messenger, and includes an interview in which he talks about ‘his life, work and love of Great Britain’.

Published: 2 Mar 2014