UKIP’s ‘gay cure’ candidate to run for Mayor of London?
A UKIP candidate who the party refused to sack for discussing ‘cures’ for homosexuality could be running for Mayor of London.
Former Christian Peoples Alliance leader Alan Craig defected to the UK Independence Party earlier this year, and was inserted as a candidate for Brent North over an existing local candidate.
However, just days after his selection in April, PinkNews revealed that Mr Craig was set to speak at a ‘gay cure’ conference.
Though conference organisers dropped Mr Craig after the PinkNews coverage, UKIP refused to discipline him, claiming that “as a party that believes in freedom of speech he has the right to speak”.
Mr Craig is now reportedly being lined up as an outsider in the party’s contest to run for Mayor.
Writing on Breitbart, Nigel Farage’s former senior aide Raheem Kassam listed Mr Craig as a potential outside candidate in the race.
Mr Craig previously ran for Mayor for the Christian Peoples Alliance in 2008, securing 1.6% of the vote with 39,249 votes – ahead of then-UKIP candidate Gerard Batten on 1.2% and 22,422.
Considering his chances, Kassam notes of Mr Craig: “The former leader of the Christian’s People Alliance, Craig has been criticised by political LGBT-types for his tough stance against same-sex marriage.”
It claims that he “would present a stark contrast between the anti-Christian sentiments being touted by Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith”, but added he would “rile up the hard and liberal left”
Kassam gave Mr Craig a ‘6/10’ as a candidate, noting that he would “potentially cause campaigning problems for UKIP” due to his stances.
Two openly gay candidates, Richard Hendron and Peter Whittle, are thought to also be in contention for the role – though sources say Mr Hendron faces being frozen out by party loyalists after criticising Nigel Farage’s attacks on “foreigners with HIV”.
Mr Craig previously compared gay equality advocates to the invading forces of Nazi Germany.
He was nominated for Stonewall’s ‘Bigot of the Year’ award in 2012.
