Alan Craig

Alan Craig
Leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance
In office
2004–2012
Preceded by Michael Elmer
Succeeded by Sidney Cordle
Canning Town South Ward Councillor & Leader Of The Opposition On Newham Borough Council
In office
2 May 2002 – 6 May 2010
Personal details
Nationality British
Political party Christian Peoples Alliance (2004-2013)
UK Independence Party (2014-)
Spouse(s) Sally
Website http://www.alansangle.com/

Alexander Alan Craig is a British political campaigner who was leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance from 2004 to 2012. He stood as a candidate for Mayor of London in 2008 and was a councillor in the London Borough of Newham for eight years. He joined UKIP in 2014 and has twice stood for the party.

Craig was director of the Mayflower Centre in Canning Town between 1995 and 2004.

Political career

Craig first stood for Newham Council in 1998 as a Christian Democrat candidate in Ordnance ward and in 2001 he stood in a by-election for Beckton ward.[1]

He was elected to Newham Council for Canning Town South in the 2002 local elections becoming the only opposition councillor.[2] In the 2006 elections he was re-elected with an increased majority as part of a group of three Christian Peoples Alliance councillors. However he lost his council seat in 2010.[3]

He stood in the elections for directly elected mayor of Newham in 2002, 2006[4] and 2010, coming fourth each time.

He became leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance in 2004 and led the party in the 2005 general election and the 2010 general election.[5][6]

In 2008 London mayoral election Craig stood as a "Christian Choice" candidate, representing the Christian Peoples Alliance and the Christian Party. He received 39,249 first choice votes (1.62%) and 80,140 second choice votes (4.00%),[7] finishing sixth in the first round of voting, and being eliminated for the second.[8]

Craig opposed the building of the London Markaz Mosque; he said that while he supports the right to worship, he had fears over the impact upon the community and on security.[9][10] He also opposed the opening of one of the regional casinos in Newham,[11] campaigned to end the DESO-funded arms fair[12] and played a leading role in the campaign to save the Queens Road Market.[13]

In 2011 he was criticised[14] for referring to the "Gaystapo" of "gay-rights storm troopers" with "Nazi expansionist ambitions".[15] In 2013 Craig became the spokesperson for a new group called 'Gay Marriage No Thanks'.[16] In July 2009, Craig described the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Revd Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, as 'saintly' and 'honourable' for stating that homosexuals should "repent and be changed".[17] In 2013, he compared gay rights activists in the UK to Pakistani fundamentalists, claiming that 'away from the spotlight gay activists in the UK are as up for criminal violence as any turbaned Muslim militant'.[18]

Craig has served on the Council of the Movement for Christian Democracy, the Canning Town Partnership Board and the Council for Racial Equality in Newham.[19]

Membership of UKIP

In October 2014, Craig joined UKIP.[20] In the 2015 general election, he was the UKIP candidate for Brent North[21] but lost his deposit.[22]

His selection as UKIP candidate[23] for South West constituency in the London Assembly election, 2016 prompted the resignation of the runner-up, LGBT activist and former parliamentary candidate, Richard Hendron, who described Craig as "a nasty, homophobic individual who is driven by hatred of the LGBT community". UKIP's deputy chairwoman, Suzanne Evans called for the removal of Craig for his "offensive" homophobic remarks; she went on to say he should be expelled from the party following Craig's comparison to gays being like "Nazis".[24][25] He came fifth in the election for the South West constituency, gaining 7% of the vote.

In the 2017 general election, he was the UKIP candidate for Witney.[26]

References

  1. ↑ Muir, Hugh (28 March 2001). "Labour's fortress threatened by a Christian soldier". The Evening Standard.
  2. ↑ Graves, David (5 March 2002). "Hospital protesters win control of council". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. ↑ "Local Election Results 2010 - Canning Town South". Newham.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  4. ↑ "Election results 4 May 2006". Newham.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  5. ↑ Wheeler, Brian (4 November 2004). "Rousing the party faithful". BBC News.
  6. ↑ "Labour's fortress threatened by a Christian soldier". BBC News. 25 April 2005.
  7. ↑ "Mayoral Results". Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  8. ↑ "Mosque critic brands himself the 'Christian choice' for mayor News". Thisislondon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  9. ↑ Johnston, Pillip (25 September 2006). "The shadow cast by a mega-mosque". The Daily Telegraph.
  10. ↑ Allen, Nick (30 October 2006). "Olympic-Size London Mosque May Eclipse Landmarks". Bloomberg L.P.
  11. ↑ Saini, Angela (1 February 2007). "Say no to casino!". BBC London. BBC. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
  12. ↑ "Profile: Alan Craig". Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
  13. ↑ "Friend's of Queen's Market". Archived from the original on 7 May 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
  14. ↑ "Anglican newspaper defends 'Gaystapo' article" The Guardian 8 November 2011
  15. ↑ "Confronting The Gaystapo - Alan's Angle". www.alansangle.com.
  16. ↑ "New gay marriage no thanks group launches". Pinknews. 17 June 2013.
  17. ↑ "Honour This Man! - Alan's Angle". www.alansangle.com.
  18. ↑ "What's The Difference? - Alan's Angle". www.alansangle.com.
  19. ↑ "Christians Peoples Alliance - People".
  20. ↑ Asa Bennett, "Ukip Defend Controversial Ex-Christian Party Leader Alan Craig Joining Party", Huffington Post UK
  21. ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated, Brent North" (PDF).
  22. ↑ "Election results for Brent North, 7 May 2015".
  23. ↑ "Andy McSmith's Diary: Political incorrectness – Ukip's way of choosing a candidate" The Independent, 1 March 2016
  24. ↑ "UKIP 'gay cure' candidate Alan Craig demands expulsion of Suzanne Evans for calling him a homophobe".
  25. ↑ "Ukip gay rights organiser quits attacking "vile" candidate who compared LGBT campaigners to Nazis" Daily Mirror 8 February 2016
  26. ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated, Witney" (PDF).
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