text: Nigel Farage has admitted that he has a 'preference' for Australian immigrants over Eastern Europeans and Somalians. The Ukip leader said he had to 'confess' that he was happier accepting migrants from Commonwealth countries such as Australian and India because they could speak English and understood Britain's legal system. The controversial remarks come after Mr Farage demanded that refugees fleeing to Europe across the Mediterranean are sent back. Scroll down for video . Nigel Farage, speaking to BBC Newsnight,  admitted that he has a 'preference' for Australian immigrants over Eastern Europeans and Somalians . Mr Farage, who has also admitted today that he went 'a bit wonky' and made mistakes at the start of Ukip's election campaign, was asked on BBC Newsnight whether he was anti all immigration or preferred some foreigners to others. The BBC presenter Evan Davis asked: 'Let's suppose one from Mogadishu with the same skills, the same ability to speak English, but not as a first language from one from Melbourne do you have a preference?' Mr Farage said: 'I have to confess I do have a slight preference. I do think, naturally that people from India and Australia are in some ways more likely to speak English, understand common law and have a connection with this country that some people that come perhaps from countries that haven't fully recovered from being behind the Iron Curtain.' The remarks are the latest in a series of pointed interventions Mr Farage has made on the issue of immigration. During the live leaders' TV debates Mr Farage said the NHS should not be treating foreigners with HIV. Speaking to the BBC tonight, Mr Farage admitted that he purposely ramped up the rhetoric to 'wake people up'. He said: 'Sometimes have to say things in a way to get noticed, of that there's no question. 'In order to get the public aware of some of these issues perhaps at time that tone had to be used. But you are not you are not hearing, and you're interviewing me now as we approach a general election, you are not hearing that tone from me.' The Ukip leader's remarks are the latest in a series of pointed interventions Mr Farage has made on the issue of immigration . Ukip has fallen behind the Tories and Labour in a poll of 10 target constituencies, according to a ComRes poll for ITV News . Earlier Mr Farage admitted that he had 'made some mistakes' in the campaign insisted he was looking forward to the rest of the campaign and had 'a bit of the old vim and vigour back'. Speaking to Channel 4 News tonight he said: 'I started the campaign and think I make some mistakes. 'My desperation for Ukip to do well meant that I really packed the diary and the day in a way that frankly wasn't very bright. I have now trimmed it back a bit. I'm being a bit more selective.' Asked if he was 'exhausted' he said: 'No, I'm now actually rejuvenated and enjoying it again.' Nigel Farage told ITV's Lorraine that migrants from Africa should be sent back . But told he had looked 'a bit wonky' earlier in the campaign, Mr Farage said: 'I was. No, no. Hands up I was. I had completely overdone it. 'I wasn't getting it right. I feel a bit of the old vim and vigour back and I'm looking forward to the next fortnight.' The admission came as the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg accused Mr Farage of being an 'odious Victor Meldrew' character. In an interview with MailOnline, Mr Clegg said Mr Farage's 'mask is slipping' to reveal a man uncomfortable talking about people who are not white 'lashing out' in a scrabble for headlines. The Lib Dem leader condemned David Cameron's appeal to UKIP supporters to 'come home', warning the 'bandwagons of the far right' are encircling an 'increasingly hapless Conservative leadership' which is losing all grip on the party. In an interview with MailOnline, Mr Clegg said Mr Farage's 'mask is slipping' to reveal a man uncomfortable talking about people who are not white 'lashing out' in a scrabble for headlines. The Lib Dem leader condemned David Cameron's appeal to UKIP supporters to 'come home', warning the 'bandwagons of the far right' are encircling an 'increasingly hapless Conservative leadership' which is losing all grip on the party. It came after Mr Farage called for any migrants rescued from the Mediterranean to be sent back to Africa. The Ukip leader said 'millions' of refugees could arrive on boats in Europe over the next few years unless they are intercepted and turned back now. Mr Farage urged Prime Minister David Cameron to resist pressure at an emergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels tomorrow for Britain to take in large numbers of refugees brought across the Mediterranean by people-smugglers. Mr Farage urged David Cameron - pictured with Boris Johnson campaigning in London today - to resist pressure at an emergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels tomorrow for Britain to take in large numbers of refugees . He insisted the UK could not take more than 'a few thousand' genuine refugees. His comments came as experts warned that up to 30,000 migrants, including 2,500 children, could be killed this year unless the crisis is tackled. Up to 950 people are believed to have drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya on Saturday, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Just 28 people are known to have survived the tragedy, described by UNHCR as 'the deadliest incident in the Mediterranean we have ever recorded'. However, a major survey published today suggested Mr Farage's hard-line immigration stance was popular with the public. Nick Clegg said the Ukip leader was an 'odious' man . Barely one in ten electors say they are satisfied with Conservative border policies over the past five years. The poll by Ipsos MORI suggests this unhappiness may be the key factor behind large numbers of Conservative voters switching to Ukip. Of those who supported David Cameron in 2010, but now intend to vote for Mr Farage's party, 94 per cent are dissatisfied with immigration policy. This compared to 45 per cent of voters sticking with the Tories. This loss of voters to Ukip could be crucial in deciding the outcome of the General Election on May 7 – with the Prime Minister now facing a race against time to win them back. For all voters, six in ten electors say they are unhappy about the Tories handling of the nation's borders. A significant number of voters also insist immigration is still not being discussed enough by the politicians. During the current campaign, the Tories, Labour and Liberal Democrats have all avoided talking about the subject. The poll will now put pressure on the Prime Minister to change course and begin promoting his policies – which are far tougher than any advocated by Labour. The public considers Labour and the Tories to be just as bad as one another when it comes to getting a grip. Alarmingly for Mr Cameron, only 27 per cent think the current government's handling of immigration has been better than under the previous Labour government – and 26 per cent say they're handling it worse. The rest say both are the same. This is despite the fact Labour presided over a policy of open borders in which record numbers were allowed to pour into the UK.
target: Ukip leader 'confessed' that he preferred some migrants to others .
  He said immigrants from Commonwealth countries settled more easily .
  Mr Farage also called on refugees fleeing to Europe to be sent back .
  He said the Royal Navy should be sent to patrol the Mediterranean .
  Mr Farage also accepted that he used explosive language to get noticed .