A CANDIDATE standing for Reform UK in Salisbury has stood by his statement that he thinks Vladimir Putin is a "good" president.

Julian Malins KC was met with boos, hisses and looks of disgust while he spoke a general election hustings at St Thomas' Church on Sunday evening, June 23.

A statement he made about his opinion of Vladimir Putin drummed up significant backlash with enraged residents who were acutely aware of the 2018 Novichok attack.

The 74-year-old barrister, who does not live in Salisbury, has remained steadfast on his position that Putin "seemed very good" - an impression he obtained during a 10-minute chat with the President of Russia.

Read more: ​Reform UK Salisbury candidate says Putin 'seemed very good'

However, Mr Malins claims he didn't use these words "in the Christian sense".

He told the Journal: "As President of Russia, all polls, including western financed polls, show that he has the broad support of the Russian people.

"The Russian people think that he is a good President."

During the hustings, Mr Malins also suggested Putin "is not the Austrian gentleman with a moustache come alive again". 

In response to being asked why he referred to Adolf Hitler in this way, he simply said: "It has become the usual practice in worldwide media not to refer to Hitler by name."

Julian Malins adopted a relaxed seating position on the panel.Julian Malins adopted a relaxed seating position on the panel. (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

A member of the public asked members of the panel about their stance on the Rwanda bill to which Mr Malins said he'd rather turn the boats around if they're sea worthy as the "young men" coming into this country "do not share the same values" as British people.

"Illegal immigrants do not share the same values as British people. Obviously not, as British people are law abiding," he explained.

Read live coverage of the meeting here

Several times during the hustings, Mr Malins referred to "the adults in the room" which he now claims referred to the adults in the "relevant rooms where diplomacy is carried out".

He later added: "NATO countries have no diplomats worthy of the name and as a result we are drifting into war with Russia."

The next general election hustings will be held at Bishop Wordsworth's School on Tuesday, June 25, from 7.30pm.