Nathan Gill, a newly-elected MEP from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) admitted to employing "dozens" of workers from Eastern Europe and the Philippines.

Though saying he understood "this could look bad" against the background of UKIP's anti-immigration messages (targeting mostly East European newcomers to Britain), he was firm his actions did not contravene party policies.

The Independent, a British daily, quotes Gill as explaining his family firm (one running a number of care homes) had been unable to "find local workers to do the jobs".

Those who worked for him were kept in bunkhouses "until they could get something more permanent".

Gill also hinted in an interview with the Wales Online that his employees were to be envied as they were charged GBP 50 weekly for accommodation and electricity although they earned GBP 200 to GBP 300 for that period.

He insisted his party had never aimed to stop all immigration but just sought to "limit the numbers".

Speaking of the Filipino workers, he underscored the difficulties his firm had been put through to get their work permits.

The UKIP MEP justified his actions by saying that if they hadn't employed people from overseas they'd "have been called racist".

An openly euroskeptic and anti-immigrant party, UKIP managed to build a great portion of its public image (ahead of the European elections) around demands to restrict free movement for citizens of other EU member states and generally curb the influx of people looking for a job in Britain.

Its leader Nigel Farage warned of a migration tide of Bulgarians and Romanians who would flock to the UK after the labor market was opened on January 1 2014. He even believes that Britain had turned its back "on talent from India and New Zealand because of an open door to Bulgaria. And that doesn't make any sense".

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