Former tabloid journalist stands for UKIP
The UK Independence Party is planning to field a number of
candidates in Dover and Deal at the county council elections - and
one has already been named.
Former News of the World journalist Paul McMullan (pictured
above), who was among those who gave evidence to the Leveson
Inquiry on phone-hacking allegations, is to stand for one of the
Dover seats at the election on May 2.
He has also been appointed as the press officer for the Dover
and Deal branch of UKIP, and says he would be interested in
eventually standing for the European Parliament.
Mr McMullan, who is 45, says he was inspired to put himself
forward as a UKIP candidate by two events.
The first was the fact that three months ago his 80-year-old
mother, who likes making jam, was among those affected by the new
law from Europe saying she could not re-use jam jars.
“There has to come a time when enough is enough,” said Mr
McMullan, who runs the Castle Inn and backpackers hostel in Russell
Street, Dover.
“The fact that 300 people who get paid £90,000 a year can come
up with that law, costing millions to implement, is a complete
waste.”
His second motivation was watching Diane James, the UKIP
candidate who beat the Tory candidate in the Eastleigh by-election,
when she appeared on the BBC television programme Question Time
which was broadcast from Dover Cruise Terminal on Thursday.
“I believe I can win in Dover,” he said. “I think the protest
vote will continue to that election.
“I am not anti-European,” he said. “Part of my business is
running a youth hostel and at the moment I have French, German,
American and Australian people staying here.
“They all come to experience British culture at its best and to
stay in an historic British inn.”
Mr McMullan, who moved to this area after playing golf at Deal,
bought the Castle Inn two and a half years ago when it had been
closed for two years and was a shell and he has invested more than
£200,000 in it. Refurbishment work is still going on, and he hopes
to reap the rewards of his efforts this summer by attracting more
people to stay there.
And he can’t wait to see work start on the Dover Town Investment
Zone redevelopment which is due to take place in the St James’ area
right next to the inn.
By then, he hopes, he will have been elected as a councillor and
will be able to help spearhead the future renegeration of Dover -
and take the UK out of Europe.
14/03/13
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