Nigel Farage branded 'absurd' after blaming immigrants for late reception arrival in Wales

Nigel Farage has blamed immigrants for his late arrival to a reception dinner after he got delayed in traffic on the M4.

The Ukip leader made the 'absurd' excuse when he turned up late to meet a group of supporters in Port Talbot ahead of the party's first Welsh conference.

He told BBC's Sunday Politics Wales: "It took me six hours and 15 minutes to get here - it should have taken three-and-a-half to four.

"That is nothing to do with professionalism, what it does have to do with is a population that is going through the roof chiefly because of open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it used to be."

Shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith said: "It is clearly absurd to suggest heavy traffic on the M4 is caused by immigration, but through the laughter at his silly comments you can hear Ukip's dog-whistle politics of division."

A user on Twitter wrote: "Perhaps if he had not stopped to check the origin of every driver on the M4 he might not have been late."