He was asked about the claim he made to Russia Today saying it was the option from a list of tongue-in-cheek options which was ‘probably most suitable for me’
UKIP’s new leader Henry Bolton has made the bizarre claim that he could catch and kill a badger with his “bare hands”.
He was asked about the bizarre comments on Sky News this morning, explaining it was part of a discussion about potential initiation ceremonies to become party boss.
The 54-year-old, a virtual unknown before he won an election to become leader last month, appeared on the Russia Today channel earlier this month.
During the interview the presenter suggested a number of tongue-in-cheek challenges anybody who wanted to take over should have to complete.
They included eating a St George flag or arm-wrestling former England footballer Terry Butcher.
Another one related to catching a badger, something to which former soldier and security expert Mr Bolton said: “I reckon I could do that.”
Asked this morning why he said that the Ukip leader said: “The one that was probably most suitable for me was chasing a badger across Dartmoor, capturing it and then breaking its neck with one’s bare hands.
"Which was a slightly unusual thing.”
Elsewhere in the Sky News chat today he said Britain in an "ideal world" should be aiming for zero net migration.
But he said he was not suggesting this to be practical, noting it would be "very difficult" to hit such a target.
And Mr Bolton added he did not want to provide an "arbitrary" figure as "nobody listening here will really believe" it can be hit.
He said: "We are as a country being swamped by the fact we're having a net immigration that is approximately the size of Wolverhampton or Hull ever year.
"That's difficult to cope with in terms of our services and infrastructure when we're cutting police by 25%, for example, local government in some cases by 50%.
"So you've got that problem."
