Seems that somebody boobed today

The Sunday Times has run with a story about Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader employing family members. There is a nugget of truth in the story, Farage does employ his wife. But given that that is already in the public domain it hardly merits news coverage. I can provide personal evidence that Mrs Farage works, the emails and phone calls that I regularly recieve rom her are testament to the fact. But comments referring to the employment of his son, an undergraduate at Exeter University are beyond the stretch of truth.

UKIP has put out the following statement in relation to the story,

Sunday Times allegations 'untrue'

Sunday, 24 February 2008
The leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage MEP, has issued a statement in response to an article published in The Sunday Times of 24 February under the
headline "Anti-Brussels MEP pays son from EU funds.”

Mr Farage’s statement says:“There is not a single grain of truth in the statement that I am employing my son using EU allowances or in any other capacity.

“The article also contains a statement alleging that I am being investigated by OLAF, the EU’s fraud watch dog. This is simply untrue.”

The statement refers to a further claim in the article that a former UKIP regional organiser alleged the party was misusing EU funds. Mr Farage says: “It fails to say that this individual recently lost on all counts a legal case against Mike Nattrass MEP.”

Mr Farage says the newspaper asked him “ridiculous questions” relating to allegations that he was acting in an illegal manner financially.

He added: “I am particularly annoyed that my son should be dragged into this and his photograph published alongside a story containing llegations for which there is no evidence at all.”

The UK Independence Party recently appointed as its Treasurer Mrs Marta Andreasen, the accountant who was sacked by the EU in 2002 for refusing to approve its accounts. The party said she had been asked to take up the position because of her openness, honesty and professionalism as an accountant.

And it isn't just The Sunday Times that might find themselves in hot water. I understand that repeating a libel is also libellous so a certain Labour MEP might be skating on very thin ice.