Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

'Blukip' politician thanks Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg for saying DUP want to end gay marriage

A Lib Dems spoof website also says Blukip want to bring back death penalty

Lamiat Sabin
Saturday 18 April 2015 17:00 BST
The Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland is against gay marriage
The Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland is against gay marriage (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A right-wing Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland politician has thanked Nick Clegg for “reminding” voters that they are seeking to abolish same-sex marriage.

Nigel Dodds, MP for North Belfast, said he appreciated the Lib Dems spreading the word of their pledges, even though it was on a spoof website the latter had set up for “Blukip” – a potential Conservative, Ukip and DUP alliance.

The Lib Dems set up the tongue-in-cheek posts in which they wrote about “our plans to abolish gay marriage” in a mocking essay titled “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” by someone called “Gobby”.

Mr Dodds did not deny on a Newsnight debate that his party would want a coalition to “reject gay rights”, however both Ukip and Tory spokespeople said that they would not agree to these policies – according to Pink News.

Presenter Evan Davis asked the MP: “[Nick Clegg] said [Blukip] would reject gay rights and support the death penalty. What was your reaction?”

Mr Dodds responded with: “I was very grateful to Nick Clegg for reminding people of the pivotal role the DUP can play. If you look at [the BBC Leaders’ Debate] earlier, Northern Ireland’s voice was excluded.”

Although the politician appeared to not respond to the host’s question about capital punishment, Conservative MPs such as Philip Davies and Priti Patel are supporters of reinstating it.

The Independent are currently awaiting comment from Mr Dodds regarding his stance on capital punishment in the UK.

Another “Blukip” website post is written by someone called “Andy Coulson” – an obvious reference to David Cameron’s former communications director who served only five months of an 18-month sentence last year for conspiring to intercept voicemails as editor of the now-defunct News of the World.

Andy Coulson outside the Old Bailey before serving five months in prison (AFP)

Coulson is currently awaiting a trial to start on Tuesday over charges of perjury during the trial of Solidarity politician Tommy Sheridan and his wife Gail.

The Lib Dem prankster duly wrote under the phone-hacking journalist’s name that the Blukip alliance would seek to bring back the death penalty for criminals.

It said: “By reintroducing the death penalty in Britain, we will have the power to kill anyone we think deserves it.

“Now we can eradicate crime and unwanted behavior with one prick of a needle, one well knotted rope or one press of an electricity power switch. Lets kill crime. Lets kill criminals! (sic)”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in