Chorley UKIP candidate revealed

Pub landlord Nick Hogan has been selected as parliamentary candidate for Chorley by the UK Independence Party.

His appointment was announced at a public meeting held by the party at the Swan With Two Necks public house, Chorley. "I am very pleased to be asked to become the parliamentary candidate," said 40-year-old Mr Hogan.

"The EU affects our daily life in every way and I am fed up to the back teeth with the rules coming down from the European Union. "We have had enough and must say 'no' to being dictated to." He explained that the smoking ban, which has led to 36 pubs a week closing in this country, was "the final straw".

"At the end of the day we are British and proud to be British and do not want to be run by faceless bureaucrats in Brussels," said Mr Hogan, whose wife Denise is licensee of The Swan With Two Necks.

His selection was welcomed by Paul Nuttall, UKIP chairman, who said that Mr Hogan would be an asset to the party and would work hard to help further its aims of withdrawing from the EU.

Mr Hogan is currently continuing his fight against his recent conviction for of failing to prevent people from smoking on his former licensed premises in Bolton on four occasions in July last year. A district judge has refused his appeal but on a point of principal he is now preparing to take the matter to the Court of Appeal.

UKIP advocates lifting the smoking ban in public houses and giving landlords the right to choice whether to allow smoking in all or part of their premises.