Sneering Corbyn cheerleader Paul Mason has branded UKIP voters “toe-rags” who would “nick your bike”. Talking specifically about the Stoke by-election, Mason, flanked by the Green Party’s Sian Berry and Guardian columnist Zoe Williams, offers this contemptuous analysis of first-time voters who consider backing UKIP:

“They’re not working class Tories… most of the UKIP people are either people who haven’t voted or have flipped in a radical way from Labour. They are toe-rags, basically. They are the bloke who nicks your bike.”

Arousing nervous laughter from his audience, Mason makes clear he is not joking:

“No, seriously, that’s who it is, it’s the bloke who does all the anti-social things.“

Mason made the comments at a Novara Media event in trendy Hackney last week. He also told the audience he would be going up to Stoke to campaign for Labour. Sure this will go down well on the doorstep…

UPDATE: UKIP has responded to Mason’s diatribe. The party’s Media Spokesman Patrick O’Flynn said:

“Paul Mason has lifted the lid on what the radical left think about long time Labour voters who have lost faith with that party and moved across to UKIP. He thinks they are “toe-rags”, presumably for feeling a sense of patriotism, for feeling concerned about open door immigration and for supporting Brexit.

“Any voters who care about these issues but were pondering whether to still vote Labour have their answer: Mr Mason and the radical metropolitan left think they are scum. We in UKIP understand and share their concerns and will always treat them with respect.”