A YOUNG politician running for office has insisted he does not agree with the infamous anti-immigrant “rivers of blood” speech.

Last year Edward Wilson wrote an incendiary online opinion piece entitled “In the defence of Enoch Powell – why he was right on immigration”.

But yesterday he insisted it was an intellectual exercise for his university debating society, a society with strong credentials when it comes to debating controversial ideas.

Mr Wilson, 20, is standing as the Conservative candidate in the by-election for the open East Brighton city council seat, to be held on February 8.

In March, in a piece for the University of Sussex “Liberate The Debate” society, he wrote: “The threat Enoch Powell warned us about has become a nightmare we’re currently living in.

“Britain has been gradually deteriorating through the sheer flood of immigrants over recent years.

“What started as a river as now turned into a flood.

“Like all floods it has left economic ruin in its wake and failures of integration have forced upon Britain a watering down of culture, tradition and language that has made many parts of the country unrecognisable.”

The piece goes on to look at the example of Slough, and calls immigration levels experienced there “ethically and morally wrong”.

Yesterday he acknowledged authorship of the piece, which he said had been written in an “organised, deliberately provocative, academic setting” and that he would be “mortified” if anyone confused the piece with his personal views.

He told The Argus: “To encourage debate within the free speech society, I wrote a piece on Enoch Powell’s vile river of blood speech.

“As you will know, this is a speech which caused great controversy.

“I do not and never have supported the views of Enoch Powell.

“I simply believed at the time this would be a way to encourage debate on the topic of immigration, as this is a great concern for the electorate.

“The content within the article, I must stress, are not views that I support.

“This piece was deleted as I feared that if taken out of context it could perpetrate ideas which are not right.

“I personally would be mortified if anyone were offended by this if they read it out of the intended context.

“As I said the speech was full of hatred, and does not and never has represented my personal views.”

The Sussex University debating society has clashed recently with its own student union over free speech.

In October, an invitation to speak on campus, extended by Liberate The Debate to Ukip MEP Bill Etheridge, was rescinded by the society, after the Students’ Union insisted on seeing a copy of Mr Etheridge’s speech in advance.

The debating society accused them of “no-platforming by another name.”

The society was told that Mr Etheridge’s talk about libertarianism and free speech had been deemed “medium/high risk” and measures were needed “to ensure the safety of the speaker and of students” including the union’s “safe space” policy.

Mr Wilson’ Labour opponent, frontrunner Nancy Platts, declined to comment.