UKIP Donor: I stand by ‘sick to death of Hillsborough’ tweets

The millionaire UKIP donor Arron Banks has told BBC 5 live that he "sticks by what I said" when he tweeted he was "sick to death" of hearing about Hillsborough.

In his first broadcast interview since his controversial tweets a week ago defending the UKIP leader and Stoke by-election candidate Paul Nuttall.

Mr Nuttall had admitted that claims on his website that he'd lost close friends in the disaster were false.

Speaking to Emma Barnett, Mr Banks blamed Labour for the controversy around his tweets on the disaster.

"It's a Labour smear campaign. Yes I am sick to death of hearing about Hillsborough. The politicisation of it by the Labour party is atrocious. I know the people up in Liverpool probably get hot under the collar for those comments, but as far as I'm concerned, I stick by what I said."

He continued: "Hillsborough was a disaster. It was wrong it was covered up... but for the Labour party to politicise it, was a disgrace."