Nuttall in North East ... but not to stand as MP

Ukip leader in Hartlepool

Political Editor UKIP leader Paul Nuttall arrived in the North East yesterday – and announced he would stand in the general election for a constituency in Lincolnshire.

There had been speculation that Mr Nuttall’s visit to Hartlepool – a key Ukip target – was an indicator that he would stand in the Labour-held seat. But instead he announced he would be standing in Conservative-held Boston and Skegness.

Mr Nuttall described it as “a great honour and a privilege” to be standing for Ukip in the seat, adding: “The constituency voted overwhelmingly for Leave inspired in part by the massive betrayal of our fishing industry by successive Governments, something that today’s Conservative Party led by Theresa May looks set to repeat.

“I will make it my mission to stand up for the people of Boston and Skegness and ensure there is no backsliding on Brexit.”

Asked why he was 165 miles away in Hartlepool, he said: “I never said I was standing in Hartlepool. I was always coming here today. It’s been in the diary for weeks.

“I want to get there now and campaign alongside our local activists because we believe we have a great chance in Hartlepool. We only need a 4% swing to take the seat off Labour.”

Asked if he can win in Boston, he said: “Who knows? There’s six weeks to go in this campaign, the Conservative MP campaigned to remain dur- Ukip leader Paul Nuttall speaks during his visit to Hartlepool yesterday. Nearby, a ing the referendum, 70% of people voted to leave the European Union and we’ve got a good active branch. We’ll be giving it a good go.”

Mr Nuttall skipped a planned minirally with supporters outside a Hartlepool pub after a confrontation between local residents and anti-Ukip protesters turned into a fight in front of the venue.

He moved to another Hartlepool pub to conduct media interviews before beginning campaigning.

The Conservatives held Boston and Skegness in 2015 with a 4,336 majority over Ukip. Labour held Hartlepool by just 3,024 votes over Ukip – and MP Iain Wright is standing down.

In an interview with the Sunday Sun, Mr Nuttall claimed the United Kingdom is in danger of breaking apart unless people in England get a