55 Facts About Winston McKenzie

Winston Truman McKenzie was born on 23 October 1953 and is a British political activist and perennial candidate for public office.

Winston McKenzie is currently a founder and leader of the Unity in Action Party.

Winston McKenzie has been a member of every major UK political party, and has stood as an independent or minor party candidate on numerous occasions without success.

Winston McKenzie was a member of the Labour Party from the 1980s until 2001.

In 2009, he tried to establish his own Unity Party, but this failed owing to a lack of financial backing; Winston McKenzie then joined the UK Independence Party.

Winston McKenzie served as UKIP's Commonwealth spokesman from 2014 until 9 March 2015, when he was sacked over a series of gaffes.

Once a regular fixture in British politics, standing in up to three elections per year, Winston McKenzie has stood for public office only once since 2018.

Winston McKenzie blamed an abortive attempt to stand for Mayor of London in 2021 on difficulties he encountered with filling out forms.

Winston McKenzie stood in the 2022 Croydon Mayoral Election as an independent, campaigning on a platform based largely on local economic stimulation and regeneration.

Winston McKenzie received 1,324 votes, losing to Conservative candidate and former councillor for South Croydon, Jason Perry.

An elder brother of boxer Duke McKenzie and a younger brother of boxer Clinton McKenzie, Winston McKenzie was an amateur middleweight boxer.

Winston McKenzie fought professionally as a super-welterweight in a career spanning 1975 to 1982, winning six of his 16 fights, and being knocked out nine times.

Winston McKenzie contended that after an underprivileged childhood, "boxing was my salvation".

Winston McKenzie later worked as a hairdresser, a rug wholesaler, a letting agent and a garage mechanic.

Winston McKenzie ran a pub in Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath with his brothers.

The pub was boarded up after the raid, and Winston McKenzie confirmed in January 2003 that it would not be reopening.

Winston McKenzie stood in the September 2003 Brent East by-election as an independent candidate on a slogan of "The black voice for Great Britain".

Winston McKenzie pledged to "shut all gates of entry to immigrants and asylum seekers", and to increase sports facilities for young people.

Winston McKenzie joined the newly formed Veritas party in 2005, calling for "a blanket ban on immigration and asylum for one year", and becoming its principal spokesman on sport.

Winston McKenzie resigned from Veritas two weeks after the 2005 election.

Winston McKenzie rejoined Veritas when Kilroy-Silk stepped down as leader, so that he could stand for leader of the party.

Winston McKenzie came third out of three candidates, polling 168 votes.

Winston McKenzie came fourth of five candidates, polling 47 votes, only surpassing the votes received by the Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate.

Winston McKenzie stood in 2007 for the Conservative Party's nomination, but failed to attract enough support to make the shortlist.

Winston McKenzie then left the Conservative Party by the end of the year and stood in the 2008 mayoral election as an independent candidate, under the slogans "I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee; I've got the policies they can't see" and "They said it couldn't be done".

Winston McKenzie came last of the 10 candidates, polling 5,389 votes.

Winston McKenzie founded the Unity Party in March 2009, and announced he would be the Unity Party candidate for Croydon Central at the next UK general election.

In October 2009, Winston McKenzie reported that Unity had folded as a party because of the withdrawal of its main financial backer.

Winston McKenzie joined the United Kingdom Independence Party in September 2009, and immediately announced he was a candidate to succeed Nigel Farage in its leadership election.

However, Winston McKenzie was barred from standing because he was still the leader of the Unity Party.

Winston McKenzie sought to stand again for leader of UKIP in September 2010, after Lord Pearson of Rannoch resigned.

Winston McKenzie came last of the four candidates, with 530 votes cast.

Winston McKenzie confirmed in May 2011 that he was again hoping to be Mayor of London, this time under the banner of UKIP.

On 27 November 2012, Winston McKenzie gave two interviews to the Croydon Advertiser and the London Metro which were repeated in the local and national press.

Winston McKenzie was reported to have commented that adoption by same-sex couples constitutes "child abuse", and asked the interviewer,.

The Croydon Advertiser interview described as "a bizarre rant" Winston McKenzie's related comments about people who "pretend" to be gay:.

Winston McKenzie retained his deposit for the first time in his political career.

Farage had been due to attend but did not arrive, and Winston McKenzie informed reporters that:.

The incident led to Winston McKenzie earning the local sobriquet, "Chump from the Dump".

Winston McKenzie lost the confidence of his local UKIP branch, amid claims he and his partner Marianne Bowness mishandled thousands of pounds of branch funds, failing to account for the spending or to keep adequate receipts.

Winston McKenzie was suspended as branch chairman, and later replaced.

Winston McKenzie was the UKIP candidate for Croydon North in the 2015 general election.

Winston McKenzie had been Chairman of the Lambeth and Croydon North branch of UKIP, but was suspended on 19 December 2014 after "months of infighting" and accusations that he had misappropriated donations.

In November 2015, Winston McKenzie said on ITV News that he had been overlooked for the London elections as a mayoral or Greater London Assembly candidate, and claimed this was owing to racism amongst senior UKIP officials.

Winston McKenzie said he was resigning from the party, and he cast his UKIP badge onto the table.

Almost immediately after joining the English Democrats, Winston McKenzie was selected as the party's candidate for the 2016 London mayoral election, at a national council meeting held in Bradford.

Mr Winston McKenzie was given the opportunity to resolve matters by the 4pm legal deadline.

On 8 April 2016 it was confirmed that Winston McKenzie would be standing in a borough council by-election in Croydon to be held on the same day as the mayoral election.

Winston McKenzie came 12th of 14 candidates, with 52 votes, less than half the votes received by the Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate.

In December 2016, less than a year after joining the English Democrats, Winston McKenzie announced that he was standing for the party's leadership, seeking to unseat its long-serving leader Robin Tilbrook.

Winston McKenzie chose to resign from the English Democrats in early 2017 instead.

In 2017 Winston McKenzie registered the Unity in Action Party with the Electoral Commission, declaring himself as Leader, and his partner, Marianne Bowness, as Treasurer.

Winston McKenzie announced his intention to stand as Unity in Action's candidate for Mayor of London in the 2021 London mayoral election, which had been postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In January 2016, Winston McKenzie became a contestant on the Channel 5 reality television show Celebrity Big Brother.

In 2015, Winston McKenzie recalled that they first met when she was the Mayoress of Croydon, and her husband gave an honour to the Winston McKenzie brothers for their work in boxing.