Tony Parsons endorses Ukip

Author Tony Parsons has said he will vote for Nigel Farage's UK Independence Party at the European elections.

The writer, who lives in Hampstead in London, said he has not voted for more than a decade because he feels there is a disconnect between politicians and the electorate.

However, he told the Guardian he will be casting his vote for Ukip in the elections on May 22 in one of the party's most prominent celebrity endorsements.

Confirming his intention to vote Ukip, Parsons said: "I've felt that politicians are just completely removed from any kind of life experiences in a way they weren't when I was growing up."

He suggested society has become less socially mobile since he started out, and believes he would not have stood a chance of becoming a writer if he were young in the UK today.

"I'd be like some bitter working-class bloke who read a lot of books and thought he was smarter than Cameron and Clegg. And probably drive a black cab or something like that," he said.

Other celebrities who have come out as supporters of Ukip include lyricist Sir Tim Rice, who has reportedly donated money, and sports presenter Des Lynam, who wrote a song for the party in 2013.

In the early 2000s, the party signed up actress Joan Collins and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes as some of its patrons, while retired cricketer Geoff Boycott also gave Ukip his backing. However, it is not known whether they are still supporters of the party. The late Sir Patrick Moore also recorded a video message of endorsement for the party.