Winston McKenzie, Nigel Farage’s UKIP candidate for Croydon North at next year’s General Election, wants to stop his branch members from holding a Christmas party.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Is UKIP’s Winston McKenzie turning into the Grinch?

Locally, McKenzie has become known as the “Chump from the Dump” since his televised remarks at his “Croydon Carnival” last spring, when he tried to explain why his party leader failed to show up at his election rally in the town centre.

Some of his fellow UKIP members are now describing their chairman as The Grinch, following a totalitarian email sent out this week which includes the weasel phrases: “This is not a threat” and “Head Office has been informed”. Be afraid. Be very afraid…

In his message to members of UKIP’s Lambeth and Croydon North branch, of which McKenzie is chairman, the failed ex-boxer and wannabe politician warns that if anyone dares stage an unauthorised Christmas party, they risk expulsion from the party.

Could it just be that McKenzie has got the right hump because someone’s staging a Christmas party and he’s been dropped from the guest list?

He is certainly no longer Mr Popular among his fellow UKIP members. In the past couple of weeks, McKenzie has seen a close colleague suspended from the party for mis-use of UKIP-tagged Twitter accounts, and then the Chump managed to kick one of his five-strong committee out of the branch for daring to ask questions about a £1,000 cash donation which was spent without any proper accounting.

On Wednesday, McKenzie issued this email to branch members:

“Dear Member,

“It has been brought to my attention that certain members of the Lambeth & Croydon North Branch are proposing holding a selection of unauthorised fundraising meetings and events without seeking the consent of the Branch Chairman, nor of the Branch Committee.

“May I take this opportunity to refer all concerned to the Party Rule Book, under Section F, 1-5, and the impending consequences that could occur should anyone wish to proceed in this vein, where it clearly states that those concerned would become subject to disciplinary action, which could prove to be detrimental to your status in the Party, and may even result in expulsion.

“This is not a threat. I am simply making you aware of the consequences that Head Office may impose should you be reported as taking part. i.e., these meetings are against Party protocol.

“N.B. Head Office have been notified.

“Yours faithfully,
“WINSTON McKENZIE(Chairman, Lambeth & Croydon North Branch)”

We contacted McKenzie by phone and email, mainly to invite him to the Christmas party we’re having at Inside Croydon Towers. At time of publishing, he’s not RSVP’d.

• UKIP’s Winston McKenzie quizzed over Carnival payments
• UKIP’s McKenzie takes revenge against local whistleblower

Coming to Croydon

• St Andrew’s churchyard gardening session, 10am, Dec 6
• Fog Horn Funnies, Spread Eagle Theatre, Dec 6
• Croydon Philharmonic Handel’s Messiah, Fairfield Halls, Dec 6
• Coulsdon Yulefest, Dec 6-7
• Heathfield House Christmas charity bazaar, Dec 7
• Oval Tavern Folk Club, Dec 7
• David Lean Cinema, ’71, Dec 11
• Mayor of Croydon’s charity Christmas dinner, Dec 12
• South Croydon business breakfast, Dec 13
• Concert of Christmas music, St Luke’s, Woodside, Dec 13
• Opera Soiree at Whitgift School, Dec 14
• Friends of the Earth Green Beanfeast, Dec 15 (book by Dec 1)
• Croydon Philharmonic Christmas concert, St Matthew’s, Dec 16
• Spread Eagle’s Christmas Improv show, Dec 17
• David Lean Cinema, Northern Soul, Dec 18
• David Lean Cinema, Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief, Dec 29
• David Lean Cinema, The Beat Beneath My Feet, Dec 30
• Norwood Society talk: Penge, the making of a suburb, Jan 15
• South Croydon business breakfast, Jan 24
• Norwood Society talk: Crystal Palace and Dulwich, Feb 19
• Norwood Society talk: Charlies Dickens in Norwood, Mar 19
• Norwood Society: Balloons and airships at Crystal Palace, Apr 16

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  Inside Croydon: Croydon’s only independent news source, based in the heart of the borough: 407,847 page views (Jan-Jun 2014) If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, a residents’ or business association or local event, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com