General Election 2015: Ukip leader Nigel Farage 'considered hiring a tank on polling day'

But the Ukip leader is 'not keen' after a previous accident on polling day in 2010

Nigel Farage reportedly considered hiring a tank for Ukip on polling day (Reuters)

Nigel Farage reportedly considered hiring a tank for Ukip on polling day – but was scared off because of a previous election stunt that went badly wrong.

The Ukip leader was involved in a plane crash while campaigning near Brackley, Northants, in May 2010.

He was pictured at the time looking bruised and bloodied after being pulled from the wreckage of the light aircraft, which had flipped upside down and nosedived into a field.

(INS)

The idea for the latest stunt was presumably inspired by The Stig, who drove a tank through London last month to deliver a petition asking the BBC director-general Tony Hall to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson to Top Gear.

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If it had gone ahead, it would have seen Mr Farage driving a tank into South Thanet next Thursday to encourage prospective voters.

Mr Farage's advisors proposed the idea, The Daily Telegraph reported, but he laughed it off and said he was "not keen" on election stunts.

Police forced to issue alert as Stig drives through London to support Jeremy Clarkson (PA)

“Hiring a tank? Why would I do something like that?" he told the newspaper. "There have been all sorts of ideas thrown around and suggested to me about what I should and shouldn’t do.

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“People have been suggesting different things to me but I am greyer, older and wiser to take such advice this time.”

He added: “I would have thought that after my last election day stunt I may be more cautious this time, and I may not take the advice that has been offered.”

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