A showdown over the future of UKIP as an organised political party in Croydon will take place next week, with an extraordinary general meeting (another one) of the shambolic Lambeth and Croydon North branch.

Winston McKenzie, right, with a member of his “team” at the infamous “Croydon Carnival” last year

The Lambeth and Croydon North branch of the Nigel Farage party has been suspended since last year, as national party officials investigated the handling of a cash donation by two officers, Winston “Chump from the Dump” McKenzie and former Tory Marianne Bowness.

McKenzie, UKIP’s eccentric choice of candidate to stand in the Croydon North constituency at the General Election, has recently stood down as branch chairman.

The reason for a Lambeth and Croydon North branch of UKIP, separate from the Kipper organisation in the rest of Croydon, is because of a clash between McKenzie and Peter Staveley, the chairman for the rest of Croydon and parliamentary candidate in Croydon Central.

UKIP’s national organisation is believed to want to create a Lambeth-only branch, and to merge Croydon North’s branch with the rest of the borough, thereby forcibly re-uniting McKenzie and Staveley. Sparks may fly come the meeting, due to be held on Wednesday, February 25.

Peter Staveley: UKIP Croydon chairman has been forced to apologise for McKenzie

To avoid losing what remains of his “power base” within the party, sources within the branch suggest that McKenzie wants to continue with a separate Croydon North branch.

Many branch members would go along with that, but only provided that McKenzie has no role in its organisation. There continues to be a lobby to re-select the Croydon North parliamentary candidate.

With less than three months until the General Election, little has been seen of McKenzie on the streets of Croydon North, not even canvassing to assist Annette Reid as she campaigns as the UKIP candidate in the Selhurst council ward by-election.

McKenzie, UKIP’s laughably titled “Commonwealth spokesman”, claims that he is too busy running his private business, something called the “Foreign Commonwealth Forum”.

McKenzie must be very busy: the Foreign Commonwealth Forum’s most recently organised event was an impressive-looking “Cultural Soiré” (sic) with the Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner.

Which was held on September 21. In 2013.

FCF members get free entry to all their events, provided they cough up a £65 membership fee. Every six months.

If you’re interested in attending future FCF events, why don’t you call Marianne Bowness on 07949 324201 or email winstonscrusade@hotmail.com, as suggested by their website?

• UKIP Croydon leader forced to apologise for ‘crass’ members
• UKIP condemned for election call ahead of councillor’s funeral
• For Winston McKenzie, Farage is “just like Jesus Christ”
• McKenzie backed as candidate but not trusted to run UKIP branch
• UKIP’s Winston McKenzie quizzed over Carnival payments

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