'˜Irony' as immigration officials raid Indian restaurant where UKIP team are eating

Jay Beecher, who helped Ms Duffy come second in her bid to take over as the party’s new leader, tweeted: “Oh the irony. Our UKIP conference meal has just been raided by Immigration Enforcement Officers.”

The pair were both eating out in Bournemouth when the raid took place.

Mr Beecher told the Press Association: “Watching our chef running away into the night, his apron flapping in the wind, was a surreal moment.

“Politics can sometimes be such a stale and serous affair, so you have to see the funny side of things.

“In this case too, I couldn’t help be tickled by the irony.

“Overall I’d give the chef in question’s performance a zero out of 10 marks for quality and service. But it definitely has to be a whopping 10 out of 10 for speed.”

Staff were questioned to check they had the right to live and work in the UK and no action was taken against the business as the employer was able to provide evidence that the required pre-employment checks had been carried out.

Ms Duffy has ironically campaigned hard for greater immigration controls. During her leadership campaign, the town and district councillor in Ramsey promised to continue demanding an Australian-style points-based immigration system for Britain.

Mum-of-six Ms Duffy ended up behind Diane James in her bid to replace Nigel Farage as the new UKIP leader.