Morrissey shows support for Ukip candidate Anne Marie Waters

He claims that voting for the Ukip leadership contest was rigged

In a live session with BBC Radio 6 Music, Morrissey backed the failed Ukip contender and anti-Islam candidate Anne Marie Waters. Before he played his set, he addressed the audience with: “I was very surprised the other day. It was very interesting to me to see Anne Marie Waters become the head of UKIP.”

He added, “Oh, sorry. She didn’t. The voting was rigged. I forgot.”

When met with silence from his audience, the artist continued, “You didn’t get it, did you? You obviously don’t read the news.”

Waters is the co-founder of the UK branch of anti-Islam group Pegida. She recently lost her bid to become the new Ukip leader to Henry Bolton. After her defeat, she tweeted: “Today: Jihad – 1. Truth – 0”

No stranger to controversy, Morrissey has come under fire several times this year. In March, he received backlash for his questionable ‘Black is how I feel on the inside’ tour shirts, featuring an image of late civil rights activist James Baldwin on the front. Recently, the cover art for his forthcoming album Low In High School surfaced online. Designed by Tony Molina, the cover shows Max Lopez, son of Morrissey’s bassist Mando Lopez, holding an axe and a sign saying: ‘Axe The Monarchy’.

Listen to the live session here. Morrissey makes the comments around the 2:20:17 mark.