Ireland rejoining the commonwealth would make me “very, very happy” says Nigel Farage.

“If you put to the Irish people, the issue of Ireland rejoining the commonwealth you might be surprised at how many people in Ireland think it’s a rather good idea, says the UKIP leader who’s contesting the UK general election this May.

I joined on the hustings with Farage in the constituency of South Thanet, in Kent.

“If I’m right, we can turn the commonwealth into something more – extending it into a concept of free trade, and increasing prosperity to its member states”.

“If Ireland wanted to be a part of that, I’d be very, very happy”

Farage believes that Ireland has had a rough ride since joining the EU in 1973, not least because it was forced to vote twice in two EU referendums

“It was horrendous the way Ireland was treated by Brussels after the Lisbon referendum. “Awful”, says Farage from a bar stool in ‘The Dog’ pub, in Sandwich – a town in Kent, England. One of several pub stops on the hustings with UKIP last Sunday.

“I saw the dishonesty myself - the referendum imposed twice on the Irish. “The Irish said no but that wasn’t good enough; they must vote again.

Hear the full report from Newstalks’ Breakfast Show here: