Failed boxer Winston McKenzie’s political career could be about to be dealt a knock-out blow, and his hopes of running for London Mayor dashed for lack of cash.

Big loser: Winston McKenzie

The serial political loser, who left UKIP last year complaining of racism, only for him to join the English Democrats, a smaller party with some questionable links with hard-right groups, has launched a crowdfunding appeal to raise £60,000 for his campaign.

With four weeks of his crowdfunding campaign to run, so far McKenzie has raised a grand total of… 70 quid from four supporters.

McKenzie, who has a penchant for expensive fedoras and for declaring himself as “Champ” even though he never managed to win any titles in the boxing ring, was last seen being run out of the Celebrity Big Brother house, after he admitted to being a homophobic bigot.

McKenzie was expected to be paid around £60,000 for his appearance on the low-rent reality show, though around a fortnight after his expulsion, he was grumbling to anyone on Croydon High Street who would listen that he was still waiting to be paid.

South Croydon-based McKenzie had hoped that his exposure on national television – alright, on Channel 5 – would help to launch his campaign for City Hall. The controversy he stirred up looks as if it could be the final body blow for The Chump’s political ambitions.

His latest £60,000 appeal target appears to be on the high – or greedy – side of campaign budgeting. MPs running for parliament last year were working on a campaign spend of a similar amount, but for a six-month period. McKenzie’s got the begging bowl out with just seven weeks until London election day on May 5.

McKenzie’s crowdfunding page says that his campaign target includes his £10,000 election deposit, a further £10,000 for inclusion in the official Mayoral candidates booklet that gets distributed to all voters, and the rest to pay for leaflets, billboards, “distribution costs” (McKenzie won’t have much of a party network to go door-to-door with his leaflets, so may have to resort to paying for postage), and for “office expenses, heating and lighting, tabloid advertising”.

But if McKenzie is unable to raise enough money for his deposit, he won’t even get his name on to the ballot paper. And time is running out: nominations are due to close, suitably enough in McKenzie’s case, on April 1.

Today is the official start of the election period for the Mayor of London and 25 Assembly Members. The Mayor and the Assembly are responsible for issues including transport, policing, housing and the environment – with a budget of some £16billion per year.

Imagine what Winston might be able to manage if he got his hands on that sort of wedge…

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