Paul Nuttall, the Leader Of Ukip, admitted that claims he lost a close friend during the Hillsborough tragedy were embellished. In an interview with Liverpool Radio City, Nuttall was asked about his claims he lost a 'close, personal, friend at Hillsborough' he made on his website in 2012-but Nuttall denied making these claims.

Nuttall: I didn't make those claims

Nuttall denied making these claims before Dave Easson, the host who was at Hillsborough on the day of the tragedy, showed the leader of Ukip proof he made those claims. In response, Nutall replied: 'I didn't lose a close friend.

I lost someone that I know. I'm sorry about that quote being put next to my name but that simply isn't true. I didn't write that'.

Lynda Roughly, Ukip's press officer, took responsibility for the claims made on Nuttall's website and offered her resignation-which was denied by Ukip. A spokesperson for Ukip said: 'Lynda should not be forced to lose her career due to one minor error after years of service to Ukip'.

On Tuesday, Roughley released a statement, claiming: 'I'm responsible for the post on Paul's website about him having ‘close friends’ who died at Hillsborough. Paul is a man of integrity and would never say something that wasn't true. I feel terrible about the mistake I made. I'm mortified about the issues that it caused Paul'.

Paul Nuttall claimed that he believed that he was victim of a smear campaign perpetrated by the Labour party, days before the Stoke byelection. Nuttall said: 'It’s a dirty game, but this is a new low and a clear attempt to sabotage me. It has upset me and my family'.

A history of mistakes made by Nuttall's press secretary

This isn't the first time that Nuttall has been found to be embellishing the truth.

Last year, Nuttall claimed he was a professional footballer for Tranmere Rovers. Moreover, Nuttall's LinkedIn page claimed that he possessed a PhD. When both claims were proved to be false, Nuttall blamed his press secretary.

Despite the recent negative publicity, Nuttall remains the most likely candidate to become MP for Stoke on the 23rd February. If he wins the byelection, Nuttall will become the second Ukip representative in parliament.