Nuttall hits back in Hillsborough ‘smear’ row
AN emotional Paul Nuttall has hit out at the “co-ordinated, cruel and almost evil smear campaign” launched against him in the row over claims on his website about his experience of the Hillsborough tragedy.
The embattled Ukip leader has faced a fierce backlash and calls to resign as an MEP after it emerged the claims that he had lost close personal friends in the football ground disaster were false.
At the party’s spring conference in Bolton, Mr Nuttall, who is trying to unseat Labour in the Stoke Central by-election, vowed to fight on.
However, mobbed by press reporters as he left the stage, the party leader refused to answer questions about the Hillsborough row.
He told the conference he accepted the blame for the false claim, made on his website, that he had lost close friends in the footballing tragedy in 1989, in which 96 people died.
He said: “I take the blame for the fact that I failed to check what was up on my website in my name. That was my fault. I apologise. But I will not apologise for what is a co-ordinated, cruel and almost evil smear campaign directed at me. It is based on lies from sources who have not been named. It has been a tough week for me but I will not allow them to break me and I will not allow them to break Ukip.”
After he said that journalists had asked him about party support, he received a standing ovation and cheers from the party faithful.
Taking his glasses off and wiping a tear from his eye, the party leader, 40, said: “I’m a bit overwhelmed.”