Winston Mckenzie. Pic: Matthew Kirby
UKIP candidate for Croydon North, Winston McKenzie has been sacked from his position as Commonwealth spokesperson.
Party leader Nigel Farage announced via Twitter, that James Carver, MEP for the West Midlands, had been appointed to replace McKenzie in the role.
Delighted to announce @JamesJimCarver as @UKIP‘s new Commonwealth Spokesman. #CommonwealthDay: http://t.co/FzeMNtHahT
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) March 9, 2015
EastLondonLines spoke to McKenzie just days before he was dismissed from his role.
When asked about his comment on gay adoption, Mckenzie said: “I’ve got my ways, I’m a sinner like everyone else … but I don’t hate gays”.
“I feel for the people. I’m a hardworking kind of guy. I’m not one of those that’s [sic] born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I’m an ex-champion boxer. I’m very much a people man.”
McKenzie became prominent in the media following the party’s “Carnival of Colours”, and for his views on homosexuality and immigration. The outspoken politician once stated that gay adoption is child abuse and “unhealthy”, and referred to Croydon as a “dump” during last year’s local election campaign.
His political career started in the early 2000s and since then has been a member of the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and Unity, a political party he created in 2009 to speak on behalf of the black voters.
Prior to becoming a politician, McKenzie was a boxer until he sustained serious eye injuries. He has also recorded a music single, and he auditioned for X Factor in 2005. Combining his love for music to his political career, in 2007 he published a ‘rap’ video during his campaign as an independent mayoral candidate.
He also once owned a pub named “The McKenzie Bros Bar and Grill’, which was forced to close in 2002 after a police raid resulted in the arrest of 25 people for drug and firearm offences.
In an interview on ITV news on Wednesday March 11, McKenzie confirmed that he intends to stand for election again in May.
Interview by Emma Levy, video by Matthew Kirby
