Editing Godfrey Bloom (section)

==Political career==
Bloom contested the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative-held]] seat of [[Haltemprice and Howden]] at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]], coming fifth.

In 2004, Bloom's election to the [[Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)|Yorkshire and the Humber seat]] was UKIP's first seat in the region in the [[2004 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|European elections]].<ref name = Firstseat/> In [[2009 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2009]], he was re-elected. In the parliament Bloom was a member of the [[Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs]] and the [[Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality]].<ref name = MEP/>

On 20 September 2013, during its party conference, UKIP withdrew the whip from Bloom. At a party conference meeting he had jokingly referred to his female audience as {{linktext|sluts}}.<ref name="Sky">[http://news.sky.com/story/1144453/godfrey-bloom-ukip-mep-calls-women-sluts "Godfrey Bloom: UKIP MEP Calls Women 'Sluts'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054100/http://news.sky.com/story/1144453/godfrey-bloom-ukip-mep-calls-women-sluts |date=21 September 2013 }}, Sky.com, 20 September 2013</ref> Subsequently,<ref>Rowena Mason [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/20/nigel-farage-godfrey-bloom-sluts-ukip "Ukip's Godfrey Bloom has whip removed after 'sluts' remark"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831140001/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/20/nigel-farage-godfrey-bloom-sluts-ukip |date=31 August 2016 }}, theguardian.com, 20 September 2013</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2013/09/20/nigel-farage-schoolboy-fascist |title= Ukip conference in chaos after Godfrey Bloom hits journalist |work= politics.co.uk |date= 20 September 2013 |access-date= 1 March 2014 |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223641/http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2013/09/20/nigel-farage-schoolboy-fascist |url-status= live }}</ref> he got into a confrontation with journalist [[Michael Crick]] in the streets, hitting him over the head with the conference brochure,<ref>[http://www.channel4.com/news/ukips-godfrey-bloom-biffs-michael-crick "Thwack! MEP's blunders derail Ukip party conference"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922010746/http://www.channel4.com/news/ukips-godfrey-bloom-biffs-michael-crick |date=22 September 2013 }}, Channel 4 News, 20 September 2013</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053455/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/10323515/Ukip-MEP-Godfrey-Bloom-whacks-Michael-Crick-over-the-head-with-party-brochure.html "Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom whacks Michael Crick over the head with party brochure"], telegraph.co.uk, 20 September 2013</ref> and allegedly threatened ITV reporter Paul Brand, by saying, "You treat me badly, you'll get a lot worse than that (Crick's slap) ... that is a threat to any journalist."<ref name="Sky"/>

On 24 September 2013, he resigned his UKIP [[party whip]], while retaining his party membership. His statement said: "I have felt for some time now that the 'New UKIP' is not really right for me any more".<ref name="BBC2409"/>

Bloom and Crick met again in May 2014. The two shook hands and had lunch together and Bloom thanked Crick, describing the incident as a "defining moment" that made him realise that he "wasn’t really suited to party politics".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqie9mctQuA.html | title = Friends reunited: Godfrey Bloom & Michael Crick share a beer | work = Channel 4 News | date = 14 May 2014 | access-date = 24 May 2014 | archive-date = 22 September 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220922231929/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqie9mctQuA.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

In December 2013, as a result of his various controversies, Bloom was awarded the [[Plain English Campaign]]'s [[Foot in Mouth Award]].<ref>{{cite web|title=2013 Foot in Mouth award winner|url=http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/campaigning/awards/2013-awards/foot-in-mouth-award.html|work=Plain English Campaign|access-date=6 December 2013|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225054540/http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/campaigning/awards/2013-awards/foot-in-mouth-award.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A spokesman said that Bloom was "an overwhelming choice" who "could easily have won this award on at least two other occasions... [he's] a wince-inducing gaffe machine and we could fill a page or two with his ill-advised quotes from 2013 alone".<ref>{{cite news|title=Foot in mouth gong for Godfrey Bloom, Yorkshire and Humber MEP|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25215093|work=BBC News|date=4 December 2013 |access-date=6 December 2013|archive-date=6 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806104642/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25215093|url-status=live}}</ref>