The editor-in-chief of political news website Breitbart London claims his “disgraceful treatment by the media” is part of the reason he pulled out of the UKIP leadership race.
Raheem Kassam, known for his outspoken turns on social media, claimed journalists for the Times had “intimidated” his elderly parents.
In a statement to his followers he said: “I am tough and I can take it, but when Times journalists show up at my elderly parents’ house at dusk, intimidating them, I draw the line.
“I will be pursuing a harassment complaint further.”
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The 30-year-old former advisor to Nigel Farage was relatively unknown until about two weeks ago when he announced he would run for the UKIP leadership.
Funding issues and concerns over the “integrity” of the party’s election process caused Kassam, 30, to pull out of the race three days after launching his campaign, saying: “The path to victory is too narrow.”
The Breitbart News Network is a conservative-leaning US website founded by Andrew Breitbart in 2007 (he died in 2012).
One of the website’s top executives, Stephen Bannon, was named chief executive of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in August.
The site has bases in London, Jerusalem, Texas and California.
A spokesperson for the Times said: “Last week a Times reporter had a very short, polite conversation with a family member.
“It is standard reporting practice to talk to friends and family when writing a profile about someone seeking political office.”
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