Prominent Ukip general election candidate Kerry Smith was forced to apologise yesterday after spouting a string of homophobic, racist and anti-poor remarks.

Mr Smith (pictured), who was selected for the South Basildon and Thurrock seat just days ago, joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a “peasant hunt,” mocking gay party members as “poofters” and referring to someone as a “chinky bird” in recordings of phone conversations obtained by the Mail on Sunday.

He suggested that he had been under great stress at the time of the comments and taking strong painkillers.

“I wish to issue a wholehearted and unreserved apology to those I have offended within the party and anyone else,” he said after his words — which he claims were from two-and-a-half years ago — were made public.

In a desperate bid to explain his vile behaviour he argued that “at the time of this recording I was considering my resignation due to major management changes which I have since discovered I completely misread and misunderstood.

“For the record I was also on a strong morphine-based prescription medication for a back injury.”

Ukip MEP Patrick O’Flynn, who is the party’s candidate in the running to become Cambridge MP, confirmed Mr Smith had not been fired as a result of the scandal.

“He needs to learn to express himself more respectfully about minorities of all kinds now he is off the prescription drugs and he is our candidate,” he added.