This bizarre Newsnight interview with Natasha Bolter was carried out before her “I love u” texts with Roger Bird were leaked, so it’s unfortunate for her case that she denied the messages were intimate: “Often I send a kiss after a text, but I don’t think that’s particularly intimate”. Oddly Natasha described the man she is accusing of sexually harassing her as “a gentleman”. She insists “I did not sleep with Roger Bird, end of,” but yesterday Bird told Guido the relationship was sexual. One of them is telling porkies…
These are some of the texts between departing UKIP general secretary Roger Bird and Natasha Bolter, the woman who alleges he sexually harassed her. Natasha’s texts are on the left, Roger’s are on the right:
More extracts from text messages from Natasha Bolter to Roger Bird:
Nov 9, 17.26: “I am really missing u bird…”
Nov 6, 19.05: “I have sang you praises to Nigel for 12 minutes”
Nov 6, 00.24: “U r not coming back and accordingly my life will go back to a meaningless void and it was chance that I met u. But I didn’t invent u – u were real…”
Nov 2, 23.45: “I love u bird and wish u let me look after u. Hope u feel better xx”
Nov 1, 09.27: “But I love u and miss u and think u r sort of perfect…”
Oct 30, 18.12: “I am really looking forward to c bird x”
Oct 28, 19.20: “…it’s so lovely to hear from u x”
Oct 19, 21.09: “Anyway bird I always f— up and u don’t let me in! And let go and u can trust me x. Ps thanks u for 2 nd chance but will probably screw it up!”
Oct 14, 09.31: “U r a really great mentor bird”
Sep 27 09.48: “R u still cool with me leaving suitcase here and coming home with u? Xx” [referring to leaving the party conference in Doncaster]
Roger tells Guido:
The timeline of events is:
10 September, 1pm: I met Natasha Bolter (NB) for the first time and carried out one of her four assessments to go onto the list of approved candidates
4pm: At the lead assessor’s suggestion I phoned her to arrange for her to re-sit one module. As she was still in town, I proposed to meet her at 6pm at the Oxford & Cambridge Club and conducted the assessment on the roof terrace there. It was a pleasant evening, she was able to smoke to relax. It was also a semi-public location – precisely to avoid any suggestion of impropriety.
11 September, 9.30am: I reported to the lead assessor that NB had now reached the requisite score and passed the assessment. She was then added to the list of approved candidates. I have emails to substantiate this.
12-15 September: Various email exchanges, including my helping her re-write her speech for the Doncaster conference.
18 September: Beginning of the relationship
27 October: I bought her a dress (as noted in the Times) before taking her to dinner that evening. Obviously this was during the relationship.
2 November: end of the relationship
Bird tells Guido that he has all the emails and texts which demonstrate the gradual development of the relationship and make it clear that there was no impropriety involved. Being a gentlemen he does not want to go into unseemly details beyond confirming that it was sexual. Seems neither UKIP nor The Times wanted to believe Bird’s word…
