Winston McKenzie

Winston McKenzie (born 23 October 1953 in Jamaica) [cite web |url=http://www.britishboxing.net/boxers_16919-Winston-McKenzie.html |title=Winston McKenzie |accessdate=2007-07-07 |date= |year= |month= |publisher=BritishBoxing.net ] is a British politician and former amateur boxer. He ran as an independent in the 2008 election for the mayoralty of London, having failed to secure the Conservative nomination.cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/gla/story/0,,1941547,00.html |title=In the blue corner - ex-boxer bids to become Tory candidate for mayor of London |accessdate=2007-07-07 |last=Mulholland |first=Hélène |date=7 November 2006 |publisher=Guardian Unlimited ] . Of the 10 candidates in the 2008 London mayoral contest, he finished 10th, with just 0.22% of votes cast.

McKenzie has previously been a member of Labour, the United Kingdom Independence Party and Veritas, [cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/11/08/winston_mayor_feature.shtml |title=Boxer launches mayoral bid |accessdate=2007-07-07 |date=13 November 2006 |publisher=BBC London] for whom he was the spokesperson for sport and policies for the black community and for whom he ran in the 2005 general election in Croydon North, finishing seventh with 0.7% of the vote. [cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/hoc/constituency/0,,-855,00.html |title=Croydon North |accessdate=2007-07-07 |date= |year= |month= |publisher=Guardian Unlimited ] He also ran as an independent (but under the self-proclaimed title 'Black Voice for Great Britain') in the Brent East by-election in 2003, finishing seventh, with under 1% of the vote. [cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/hoc/constituency/0,,-753,00.html |title=Brent East |accessdate=2007-07-07 |date= |year= |month= |publisher=Guardian Unlimited ] McKenzie joined the Conservatives in 2005, after David Cameron was elected leader. He had left Veritas after the 2005 election, blaming Veritas leader Robert Kilroy-Silk for costing him thousands of pounds by not offering enough support to his Croydon North campaign. [cite web |url=http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.597668.0.mckenzie_i_lost_thousands_in_veritas_fiasco.php |title=McKenzie: I lost thousands in Veritas fiasco |accessdate=2007-07-07 |date=17 May 2005 |publisher=Croydon Guardian ]

He is the brother of former three-weight world champion boxer Duke McKenzie and former British and European champion Clinton McKenzie, through whom he is uncle of Coventry City striker Leon McKenzie.

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/winstonmckenzieuk Official Winston McKenzie MySpace campaign page]