NIGEL Farage has insisted pictures of his activists shouting at a journalist for questioning whether Ukip is racist will help the party's election campaign.
The Ukip leader was asked at his manifesto launch to justify the scarcity of black and Asian faces in the Ukip manifesto, which is dominated by glossy photographs of the party's top team.
The question provoked noisy barracking, including from a group of black and Asian candidates attending the launch.
Mr Farage did not address the question at the press conference, telling journalists later he did not need to because the image of diverse candidates defending the party answered it for him.
The Ukip leader said the clashes showed "passion", adding he hoped the clip would go viral on social media.
Mr Farage said: "Our black and ethnic minority candidates did bridle somewhat. Why? Because they are real people with real passions. Not career politicians, they are in this because they care and they want to see Ukip treated fairly."