UKIP selects gay candidate Peter Whittle for Mayor of London race

UKIP has named a gay member as their candidate for the Mayor of London.

Peter Whittle, currently the party’s Culture spokesperson, was named yesterday as their 2016 mayoral hopeful over Suzanne Evans, who was their de factor leader after Nigel Farage’s brief resignation post-General Election.

Pink News reports that other candidates included Alan Craig, a man who has previously seemed to support ‘gay cure’ therapy, and Winston McKenzie, who likened same-sex marriage to child abuse.

Farage said: “Peter has been an asset to UKIP for many years, and I am delighted to learn that the party has elected him as our candidate in the battle to become London Mayor.”

I'm thrilled and honoured to have been chosen as #UKIP Mayoral candidate for London, along with our excellent team of GLA candidates!

— Peter Whittle (@prwhittle) September 26, 2015

Whittle himself added: “I’m thrilled and honoured to have been chosen as UKIP Mayoral candidate for London, along with our excellent team of [London Assembly] candidates!”

UKIP have a tough battle ahead of them, however: they garnered just 2% of the vote in the capital’s last mayoral ballot. Presumably if he does win, though, Whittle will have a thing or two to say about Pride’s divisive decision to ban his party earlier this year…