UKIP leader Paul Nuttall told to 'visit Liverpool and apologise' after Hillsborough row
A UKIP branch leader who resigned in protest over the party’s “insensitivity” to the Hillsborough disaster has called on Paul Nuttall to visit Liverpool and apologise.
Adam Heatherington: Nuttal should apologise in Liverpool
Adam Heatherington, who was chairman of Ukip’s Merseyside branch, is one of two local party officials who quit on Monday.
Their resignations follow false allegations on Mr Nuttall’s website, where it claimed he had lost “close personal friends” in the 1989 stadium disaster which saw 96 people killed.
The Ukip leader, who is standing in a crucial by-election on Thursday, blamed the error on a press officer and has apologised.
Adam Heatherington said Paul Nuttall should visit Liverpool and apologise
It’s a total disregard to the victims, their families and to the people of Liverpool
Unhappy with the “unprofessional approach” in relation to Hillsborough, Mr Heatherington and Stuart Monkcom, chair of the party’s Liverpool branch, have now vacated their posts.
Mr Heaterington took particular offence to Ukip donor Arron Banks’ comments, who said he was “sick to death” of hearing about Hillsborough.
Speaking to Radio 4’s The World At One, he said: “There has been anger, it’s inevitable, it’s Arron Banks’ comments that have basically angered people.
The Ukip leader is currently battling to win the Stoke by-election
“It’s a total disregard to the victims, their families and to the people of Liverpool.
“Paul Nuttall, who I completely endorse as leader, has just made an error on the website and in hindsight probably thinks he should have corrected it.”
Although the Ukip leader has publicly apologised for the error, Mr Heatherington believes further action is needed.
“He should come in person [to Liverpool] and say sorry,” he continued.
“He should say, ‘I should have taken it down’ and be professional. He is a professional, but it is an error that he has done and we’re all human.”
On Thursday, Mr Nuttall battles to try to win the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election.
The seat has been held by Labour since it was created in 1950, but Ukip and the Conservatives ran a close race at the 2015 General Election.
Nuttall: I haven't lost a close friend at Hillsborough
Both the Ukip leader and Labour’s candidate Gareth Snell have suffered blips in their campaigns over recent weeks.
While Hillsborough has marred Mr Nuttall’s push, Mr Snell has also come under fire for previously describing Brexit as a “pile of s***”.
On Monday, bookies slashed the odds on a shock Tory win as Theresa May made a surprise visit to the constituency on Monday.