Category: News

London’s only gay mayoral candidate has said that he has never come across homophobic in his party, UKIP.

Openly gay London mayoral candidate Peter Whittle has told London Live that he’s never heard homophobia in UKIP – despite Councillor David Silvester infamously suggesting that bad weather in the UK was being caused by gay marriage and candidate for cabinet Alan Craig calling LGBT activists the ‘Gaystapo’.

London Live, the capital’s TV channel, interviewed, Peter Whittle last night for its new weeknight London Mayoral election show, London Votes. Daisy McAndrew, spoke to the UKIP candidate for Mayor of London who suggested he had never heard any homophobia in UKIP.

Peter also thinks that there is nothing homophobic about his party, even when presented with the controversial remarks from UKIP south west candidate for cabinet, Alan Craig.

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Alan Craig referred to LGBT activists as the ‘Gaystapo’ in a blog post published in 2011. He said,

Their gay-rights storm troopers take no prisoners as they annex our wider culture, and hotel owners (here) and (here), registrars (here), magistrates (here), doctors (here), counsellors (here) and (here), foster parents (here), grandparents (here), adoption agencies (here) and traditional street preachers (here) and (here) find themselves crushed under the pink jack-boot.

When asked to comment on Mr. Craig’s comments, Mr. Whittle denied that there was homophobia in UKIP saying and said that Mr. Craig was ‘entitled to his own view’.

 “It tends to prove that in fact there is nothing homophobic about my party. I am the only gay candidate standing for mayor.”

“Ok, I have shared a platform with this guy. I don’t necessarily agree with his remarks, I for example believe in gay marriage. I’m fine with gay marriage. There are people in my party who are not.

“I am the Mayoral candidate, I’m number one on the list, I have never come across homophobia in UKIP. There are lots of gay people in UKIP, we have our own LGBT section in UKIP.”

“The guy is entitled to his view.”

“The party absolutely accepts what the law is now, it’s not even an issue anymore – the reason for that opposition, was never against civil partnerships, ever. They were worried that basically the EU – remember my party  is based on an opposition to the EU, would force churches or what have you through the European Court of Justice to hold ceremonies, it’s actually something more to do with Europe.”

London Votes, weeknights at 6pm – Freeview 8, YouView 8, Sky 117 and Virgin 159