Un-Bloom-ievable!

Godfrey Bloom famously made waves when he referred to a group of women as ‘sluts’, before walloping a political correspondent over the head with a UKIP brochure in 2013.

This week, the former UKIP MEP has provoked further outrage as he allegedly taunted an Oxford student about their disability.

The alleged incident occurred during a debate at the Union, in which Bloom was amongst a number of public figures and students debating the motion, ‘This House Believes That Post-war Britain Has Seen Too Much Immigration’.

David Browne, a second year law student at Merton and well known Union member, was amongst those speaking in opposition to the motion whilst Bloom was on the proposing team.

The former UKIP MEP debated with students at the Union on Thursday

It is alleged that during a speech by Browne, who has a physical disability, Bloom heckled the student by comparing him to a fifteenth century disabled king, shouting out: “Are you Richard III?”.

Douglas Murray, The Spectator columnist who was speaking alongside Bloom in the debate, remarked, “It was a gruesome moment. I thought the student’s speech misguided and wrong. But why anybody, let alone an elected politician, would taunt him for his disability is beyond me”.

However, Bloom told Channel 4’s political correspondent Michael Crick that no offence was intended by the remarks, nor any taken. He said of the student, ““We enjoyed a good drink and a laugh until one o’clock in the morning on the strength of it”.

Merton student David Browne and Bloom posed for photos after the debate

Indeed, a photo has since emerged of Browne happily posing with Bloom after the debate.

The student explained to Crick, ““I didn’t think it was a very nice thing to say… I wasn’t happy with the remark.”

Before adding, “It’s fair to say that we did get on well. We didn’t bring it up again.  He’s a very interesting man to talk to.”

You can read more about this on Michael Crick’s blog, here.