UKIP hopeful blames Palestine conflict on uncontrolled immigration

Freddy Vachha, standing in Chingford and Woodford Green, caused jaws to drop when he told a 160-strong hustings audience there are "lessons to be learned" from the ongoing struggle and insisted "out-of-control immigration caused the tensions".   

His remarks came in response to a question from the public on what the candidates would do to ensure Israel was held to account by the British government for breaking UN resolutions.

He said: "The land into which expatriated jews returned was not empty, it was filled with Palestinians.

"When the numbers were small, the two got on harmoniously.

"There is a lesson here to be learned. 

"When it reached a certain level though of immigration, as the Palestinians would have said, you can see here exactly what we have.

"Immigration caused the tensions here and it got out of control." 

Class War candidate Lisa McKenzie said she was not going to be able to do anything on the issue, while the Green Party's Rebecca Tully accused Labour's Stella Creasy of refusing to engage with her or residents in Walthamstow on this topic. 

Liberal Democrat's Anne Crook called for a two-state solution. 

Six of the constituency’s candidates, excluding the Conservative's Iain Duncan Smith, were present at the public hustings last night (April 27) at Woodford Memorial Hall in High Road, South Woodford, which was jointly chaired by Reverend Ian Tarrant, of St Mary's Church in South Woodford, and Rabbi Richard Jacobi, of Woodford Liberal Synagogue.

Unable to defend his record, Mr Duncan Smith was branded a "coward" by Class War.

But he has provided a response to three questions on the Chingford and Woodford Green Hustings Facebook page.  

Housing, poverty, manifestos, welfare cuts, the NHS and lowering the voting age to 16 were all on the agenda as each candidate debated for two hours at the event.

All parties agreed to end ATOS work-capability assessments in response to a question posed by Gill Thompson, the sister of soldier David Clapson, who died starving and destitute after being sanctioned by the Job Centre.

Ms Crook blamed Mr Duncan Smith for "pushing cuts too far", Ms McKenzie feared pensioners were next on the list to be hit by cuts and Labour’s Mr Mahmood promised to end the bedroom tax and push for a full independent inquiry into Mr Clapson’s death.

Promises to shake-up the political establishment from Trade Union and Socialist Coalition's (TUSC) Len Hockey, Ms McKenzie and Mr Vachha attracted the loudest applauses.

On housing, Labour's Bilal Mahmood said the current government was "denying young people's aspirations" and promised to tackle 'land banking' through local authorities as well as capping rents and implementing three-year tenancy agreements.

Mr Mahmood also promised alongside the Green Party’s Rebecca Tully to re-negotiate and restructure Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts which are being blamed for crippling £93million deficit at Barts Health Trust, which runs Whipps Cross Hospital.

Asked what they would do for constituents, Mr Hockey promised to consistently defend the NHS, re-nationalise public transport and abolish tuition fees.

Ms McKenzie said she would push for more affordable and social housing.

Mr Vachha vowed to protect green belt land from development, while Ms Tully and Mr Mahmood promised to improve the NHS.

Mr Mahmood also pledged to save social landlord CBHA, which runs estates across Waltham Forest, but is the subject of re-structuring by parent organisation Peabody Trust.

Ms Crook promised to represent constituents at licensing and planning meetings, to protect local services and to cap tuition fees. 

She accused Russell Brand of doing a great injustice to young people with his claims that there is no point in voting.

This sparked a an angry response from Ms McKenzie, who described her as "unprincipled" and "irrelevant". 

The Class War candidate, said: "People are being absolutely bored to death.

"You (Ms Crook) are actually irrelevant and your party is going to be wiped out on May 7." 

All candidates but UKIP's Mr Vachha agreed the voting age should be lowered to 16. 

Hustings was chaired by Reverend Ian Tarrant, of St Mary's Church in South Woodford, and Rabbi Richard Jacobi, of Woodford Liberal Synagogue.