Man charged with assault after Nigel Farage hit with egg in Nottingham

Frederick Glenister, 33, accused of egging Ukip leader

A man has been charged with assault after Nigel Farage was hit with an egg while campaigning in Nottingham.

Frederick Glenister, 33, of Radford, has been bailed and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 22 May.

Mr Farage, the leader of Ukip, had arrived at a rally for the European elections in the city on Thursday when the egg was thrown.

He retreated back to the car and was quickly driven away.

Former Conservative MP Louise Mensch remarked that after the leader failed to stand as a candidate in Newark, it was a case of “egg hits chicken”.

The incident, which became a hit on Twitter, meant Mr Farage joined a long line of political leaders to have been egged.

Ed Miliband was hit on the campaign trail in Southampton last August. John Prescott was also famously egged as well as Ruth Kelly, the then Education Secretary, who was pelted by a Fathers 4 Justice campaigner in 2006.

It came at the end of an bad week for Mr Farage, following a series of embarrassments over comments made by party candidates and a frosty welcome in Bath.

A pub regular was filmed on live television making the “w****r” sign behind the oblivious Ukip leader after he was asked to stop campaigning on the premises by the landlord.

The man who made the gesture has since been bought more than 100 pints by admiring fans.

The events have not dented Ukip’s support in polls, which have put the party in the top spot for the European elections.

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