Nigel Farage: I could put Miliband in Number 10

UKIP's leader Nigel Farage has said he would consider offering a pact with Labour that would put Ed Miliband into Number 10 in exchange for a referendum on Europe - but not in a coalition government.

And he has backed West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge after he controversially highlighted Adolf Hitler's speaking style at a seminar.

And he called for MPs to return to Parliament to discuss the crisis in Iraq in Syria.

Mr Farage revealed he would be prepared to support a minority Labour government after next year's General Election if his party wins seats in Westminster and holds the balance of power, backing it on certain votes the way the Ulster Unionists supported John Major's Tories.

"We'll do deals with whoever if we think it will bring us closer to the level of democracy we want to achieve," he said.

"You could finish with a position where Labour is the biggest party. But they might need some UKIP support. And would I say to you now 'I'd never do a deal with the Labour party'? Of course I wouldn't. Doing a deal doesn't mean I'm in some mad desperate rush to get the keys to a ministerial car."

Nigel Farage and the Express & Star's political editor Dan Wainwright

We saw for the Liberal Democrats what good that did them. There are all sorts of things that can be done but clearly our primary objective would be to make sure we've got a full, fair and free referendum. I couldn't care less who we had to do a deal with to achieve that goal, within reason."

Asked what he made of the row that saw Mr Etheridge criticised for highlighting Hitler's speeches in a seminar on public speaking, the UKIP leader said: "Had Bill been a historian, no-one would have said a dickie bird. Set in the context of a political meeting it was pretty naive of him and he's new to politics. He's an ordinary bloke and he made a bit of an error of judgment. End of. I don't think the worse of Bill for it. It was the wrong analogy, not because it was wrong but because it could be wilfully misinterpreted."

Mr Farage also said he had no solutions for the crisis in Gaza.

"I don't think anyone in the world does," he said. "Do I think Israel has a right to exist and defend itself? Yes. Do I think Israel is over-reacting? It looks like it is. Although I'm reminded that when Hitler sent the doodlebugs here we bombed their cities to the ground. It looks like they're over-reacting, but think about it, we did much the same kind of thing. Do I think there needs to be a two state solution? Ultimately there has to be, longer term."

He also called for Parliament to be recalled to discuss the crisis in Iraq and Syria.

"There's something horrible happening," he said. "Whether we can make it better is another matter. But we should be discussing it."

Mr Farage was in the West Midlands ahead of today's police and crime commissioner by-election.

Turnout today could be as little as 10 per cent.

Mr Farage said: "There's no public appetite. There's been a wholesale failure to explain to people the changes that are happening.

"People are busy living their lives, worrying about the mortgage and whether their kids are going to get jobs."