Credit:PA
A candidate for the Wakefield by-election has caused a stir after opening a campaign leaflet by stating that he has “never sexually assaulted anyone”.
Paul Bickerdike of the Christian People’s Alliance is among 15 candidates standing for election in Wakefield after the resignation of former Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy last week.
In an unusual opening gambit, Bickerdike said: “I do look at children but I look at children in a proper way, not the way that the previous MP was looking at children.”
Julia Suzanne, a Labour leaflet, shared a picture of the leaflet, saying: “Thanks to certain disgraced Tory MPs I know the bar set for candidates is low but there’s no need to declare you’ve not sexually assaulted anyone on your election leaflet.”
The pamphlet received dozens of befuddled responses on social media, with one person saying it was “beyond parody” and another asking: “What on earth is going on?”
Asked to explain his statement, Bickerdike told YorkshireLive: “The campaign is against immorality that is going on within the political parties and that’s why I’ve commented on that. The sad fact is you have to stand up and say that you take a moral high ground.
“The back story is that there’s a lot of immorality going on and I’m standing out and saying ‘I don’t want to be tarred with the same brush’. I’m not of the same ilk as them and I have high standards. I will keep my standards and if they elect me then they can be assured of them standards that are Biblical.”
Claiming he has worked as a foster carer for 13 years, he added: “I do foster care. I do look at children but I look at children in a proper way, not the way that the previous MP was looking at children.
“That’s why I’ve taken that stance. I think at the moment because of the conditions that this by-election is being in it would be very silly of me not to make note of why we’re having this.”
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