Ukip opens office next door to Polish supermarket and gay sauna
Ukip's team in Luton have some unlikely neighbours at their new office
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ukip has opened an office in Luton, next door to a Polish supermarket, Lebanese restaurant and a gay sauna.
A picture of the office, with the unlikely neighbours labelled, went viral on Twitter over the weekend.
The office on Crawley Road in Luton, Bedfordshire, was opened by Ukip MEP Stuart Agnew on 28 March, the morning after The Greenhouse gay sauna next door held its monthly 'Dirty Friday' party, an event billed as a "full on fetish night, no towels allowed".
Allan White, Ukip parliamentary candidate for Luton North, said: "I'm not aware of any unsavoury comments about the location of our office, and this is the first I've heard of it."
"I have no issue with the Polish supermarket next door. It serves the community."
"We're not against immigration, we're just saying it needs to be controlled."
Speaking about the neighbouring gay sauna, he said: "That's none of our business and I don't see the problem."
As well as the Polish shop and sauna, the party's office is also next to Mashwi, a Lebanese restaurant that held an interfaith outreach event in February to help community cohesion.
Speaking about Ukip's chances in Luton at the general election, White said: "I expect to win", adding he was "surprised by the warmth from many local people" towards his party.
Ukip has come under fire for offensive comments from its members about immigrants and the LGBT community.
At the party conference in February, a flyer was handed out by members that compared a primary school programme aimed at challenging homophobia to "sexual grooming" by the state.
And earlier this month, Alan Harris, the party's prospective candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon was at the centre of a row over alleged homophobic comments on Facebook which referred to gay people as "queers".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments