Alexander McQueen's cousin chosen as Ukip candidate in the East End

A cousin of the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been selected as Ukip’s candidate for mayor in Tower Hamlets.

Businessman Nicholas McQueen, 51, said his relative was “a fantastic guy. He changed the way people thought about fashion and that’s a very impressive achievement. Now I hope I can change the way people think about politics.”

He is the first mayoral candidate from Nigel Farage’s anti-EU party to stand in London’s poorest borough. A former airline pilot in the US, Mr McQueen set up as a florist, invented the fresh-flower vending machine and designed sets for his cousin’s shows.

He said: “When I grew up in the East End in the Sixties and Seventies it wasn’t like this. We’re seeing segregation rather than integration.” His wife Pauline, 57, said there was no racism when they were at school as “we were all Cockneys”.

Mr McQueen will stand against Lutfur Rahman (Independent), Labour’s John Biggs and Tory Chris Wilford on May 22.

Alexander McQueen committed suicide aged 40 in 2010.