A whirlwind of a politician who appears better briefed

NIGEL FARAGE’S rare visits to Scotland are always a whirlwind with the divisive figure parachuted in during the dark of night and leaving quickly to dodge protests.

- By David Walker

Unsavoury scenes met him in Edinburgh in 2013 as the then UKIP leader campaigned for Brexit in the capital.

He was forced to take refuge in a pub due to violent demonstrators, describing them yesterday as an “angry nationalist mob”.

While a hate figure a decade ago, Farage has now become a cult hero to some in society.

While the Macdonald Houstoun House hotel in Uphall is a bit more upmarket than his usual pub crawls, it proved to be a protest-free backdrop for Farage.