The political party Nigel Farage thinks is 'openly racist' (clue: it's not Ukip)

Nigel Farage has explained that there is one "openly racist" political party in Britain, and it's not Ukip.

While claiming that his own party is "all-embracing", the Ukip leader said media attention should instead be focused on the "anti-English" SNP.

Speaking at a campaign event in Hartlepool on Tuesday, Mr Farage claimed: "The SNP are openly racist. The anti-English hostility and the kind of language that is used about and towards English people is totally extraordinary."

If my supporters behaved in the way that some of those pro-independence supporters behaved in the referendum I'd have been painted out to be the worst person that had been seen for 70 years in British politics.‎

• Nigel Farage, speaking to ITV News

(Um, as an aside: Who actually is painted out to be the worst person for 70 years in British politics?)

Mr Farage, who really hates it when a political party is tarred with the same brush as a small minority of its supporters, went on to recall an incident in Edinburgh where he was bundled into a pub "for my own safety" by police.

If you want to look at unpleasant tactics in terms of street campaigning and outright naked unpleasantness on a national-stroke-racial nature then you only have to see what was said to me when surrounded by a group of thugs in a street in Edinburgh.

• Nigel Farage

More: Here's who Nigel Farage wants to win the election (Hint: it's not Ukip)

More: These are Nigel Farage's favourite immigrants