A FORMER Ukip leadership hopeful best remembered for claiming his horse had been raped by a “gay donkey” has launched a new party.

The Democrats and Veterans Party aims to appeal to people “bonded by their shared values, positive attitudes and sense of service”.

But the launch yesterday was overshadowed by remarks John Rees-Evans made in 2014 when he was standing as a candidate in Cardiff South and Penarth.

Rees-Evans told a protestor: “I’ve got a horse and it was there in the field. And a donkey came up ... which was male, and I’m afraid tried to rape my horse.”

The stallion bit the “homosexual donkey” in defence, the former soldier continued, saying he leapt to the animal’s defence and hit the horse to protect it.

When he was running to replace Nigel Farage and then Paul Nuttal, he became furious that journalists kept asking him about the gay donkey.

“I am trying to tell you my serious vision for Ukip and you keep trivialising it,” he told the BBC’s Daily Politics at the time.

The Democrats and Veterans Party has been set up by former SAS man Robin Horsfall and ex-Army sergeant major Gavin Felton.

Horsfall was among the special forces soldiers who successfully stormed the Iranian Embassy in 1980. Also signed up is Trevor Coult, who was awarded the Military Cross in 2005.

The members have created the party in a bid to topple the Tories and Labour, and end the dominance of the “careerist politicians” in Westminster.

The party’s manifesto states: “We are made up of ordinary men and women, both civilian and ex-forces, who love this country, and have proven their love for it with their service and dedication.”

There’s no mention of Scotland in the manifesto, though they plan on standing candidates here.

Asked by The National if they had a policy on Scottish independence, the party replied: “Yes”.