Video: UKIP leader Nigel Farage mobbed on pre-election visit to Lincoln

Crowds of people and UKIP party loyalists gathered on Lincoln High Street as Nigel Farage visited the city on a last-minute pre-election appearance.

The UKIP leader stopped off by the Stonebow on Wednesday, May 4, to speak to residents about the upcoming City of Lincoln Council and Police and Crime Commissioner elections taking place tomorrow.

Farage, one of the country’s most famous and vocal Eurosceptics, also argued the case for why the UK should vote to leave the European Union in the referendum on June 23.

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Joining Farage was the party’s candidate for the Lincolnshire PCC election, Victoria Ayling, as well as several UKIP city council candidates.

Attention on the UKIP leader was momentarily diverted as a demonstration by campaigners angry at proposed changes to Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue passed by the High Street on their way to County Hall, to hand in a 4,000 strong petition to the county council.

Farage and Victoria Ayling in Lincoln. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Farage said that he was confident that UKIP would make inroads in the city council elections, but described predicting the PCC elections as “a mug’s game”.

He said: “Last year was a little bit more tricky because we had this woman north of the border who frightened the pants off everybody and that was why the Conservatives got that massive surge in the last few days.

“The SNP are not a factor tomorrow either in the city council or PCC elections.

I’m pretty optimistic and bullish that we’ll make a breakthrough in the city council.

“As for the PCC elections, it is so difficult to read. Clearly in Lincolnshire it’s going to be a two-horse race but to predict which of these two horses comes first is frankly a mug’s game.”

The UKIP leader also said that there was nothing to gain from remaining in the EU.

Farage added: “There is nothing we the electorate can do to change any single piece of European legislation.

“Now my view is that those who went before us in the 20th century and risked, and in many cases sacrificed everything that they had, did so so we can be a free, independent, self-governing, democratic nation that could make our laws in our own country.

You cannot do that as a member of the European Union. There is nothing in this system that is for us.

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The other candidates for the Lincolnshire PCC election are Marc Jones (Conservative), Lucinda Preston (Labour) and Daniel Simpson (Lincolnshire Independents).

Catch up with what Victoria and the other three candidates said at the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner debate hosted by The Lincolnite and BBC Radio Lincolnshire on May 2.